Constructed in red sandstone and designed in an Edwardian Baroque style is the magnificent King’s Theatre in Glasgow. Opened in 1904, it is a notable surviving work by the renowned theatre architect Frank Matcham. Here, all the key attributes of an Edwardian theatre can be seen. The imposing street elevation, designed to attract an audience and built in high-quality materials in a style compatible with any large civic building, demonstrated that theatre-going was now a more respectable form of entertainment. Comfort for the audience was a priority, as was maximising audience numbers. Major theatres were designed with a selection of bars and cloakrooms. At the King’s in Glasgow there is a grand marble-lined entrance foyer with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, and this leads into the highly decorative auditorium. The plasterwork in the auditorium is modelled in fibrous plaster, a Matcham speciality which allowed for more sculptural threedimensional forms to be created. The three tiers of balconies are up to date in their cantilevered construction method, as this allowed for a better view of the stage and also created more space for paying customers. When built, the King’s had seating capacity for 1,841 people.

In: Acting with confidence. Scotland's theatre architecture. p. 26 ISBN: 978-1-84917-038-3.