Bedlam Theatre

After the congregation vacated the building, the University of Edinburgh used it as a chaplaincy centre from 1957. In this period, the building was the site of a teach-in on Northern Ireland in 1969, during the early days of the Troubles. After the completion of a purpose-built space within the Potterrow Student Centre in 1973, the chaplaincy vacated the former New North Church two years later and the university used the building as a store. Contemporary suggestions for the building's use included a library for nursing students. After the chaplaincy vacated the building, it was occasionally used for student dramatic performances and as an overspill venue for the Traverse Theatre during the…

With the Disruption, the Free Church moved to erect buildings as quickly as possible with comfort and safety being the only requirements. In this context, Thomas Hamilton emerged as an arbiter or architectural taste for the new denomination. At the New North Free Church, he was pitched against David Cousin and George Smith in a competition to choose the design of the church. After his design was accepted, Hamilton argued unsuccessfully for the addition of a spire to the building. The resulting building is, in the words of the Buildings of Scotland guide to Edinburgh, "a thinly detailed early Dec rectangle". The church consists of a wide nave under a pitch roof. At the exterior side walls,…

The auditorium can accommodate 90 patrons. The theatre also has a bar and cafe. The building is the United Kingdom's oldest fully student-run theatre and one of Edinburgh's leading smaller (but nevertheless mighty) venues. In addition to around 40 productions staged each year by EUTC, it can host up to eight shows a day during the Edinburgh Fringe, when it is numbered Fringe Venue 49. Since 2012, the theatre has been part of Creative Carbon Scotland's Green Arts Initiative and has promoted awareness of environmental issues through shows as well as using sustainable practices. Work with the initiative has included, in 2013, Dramatic Impact: a green theatre festival. In 2015, the theatre…