Festival Theatre Named as Favorite Performance Venue in Edinburgh
(PRWEB UK) 23 July 2013 -- Edinburgh Festival Theatre has been named as the city’s favorite performance venue, according to a survey of international students.
With the Fringe Festival set to attract theatre-goers from around the world to Edinburgh next month, research by Kaplan International Colleges has revealed that more than a third (35%) of surveyed international students said that the Festival Theatre is their best-loved theatre and performance venue in the historic city.
The Festival Theatre, which is primarily used for performances of opera, ballet and large-scale musical events, was voted top in the survey’s theatre and performance venues category ahead of The Playhouse, King’s Theatre, Usher Hall and Church Hill Theatre.
Duncan Hendry, Chief Executive of the Festival City Theatres Trust, which manages both the Festival and King’s Theatres says: ‘We’re delighted to see the Festival Theatre voted top in this survey, and for the King’s Theatre to be in the top three of the theatre and performance venue category.
"We have a broad-based programme at both of our theatres, including world-class contemporary dance and opera which have no language barrier to appealing to the widest possible audiences. We also have more access performances than any other theatres in Scotland, and these services – like captioning – make it easy for foreign visitors to follow English dialogue on stage.
"Our student audience is important to us, and we offer great discounts to encourage students to make the most of our theatres.”
Kaplan surveyed 301 students, aged between 18 and 59 years old, from 29 countries. All participating students had spent at least two weeks learning English at Kaplan’s language school in Edinburgh.
Mike Oldham, Social Programme Manager at Kaplan International College Edinburgh, said: “Edinburgh’s cultural heritage is a significant reason why Kaplan students choose to study English here. Our students love the entertainment on offer at The Festival Theatre.
"Many of our students enjoy the theatre and the performing arts and The Festival Theatre is home to some of the best dance and opera you can find anywhere in the world.”
The results of Kaplan’s city survey have been visualized in a "What to do in Edinburgh" infographic. The infographic page has quotes covering all aspects of the research.
Other survey results include:
• 78% of international students voted Princes Street as the best place to go shopping.
• 76% voted the National Museum of Scotland top in the museums and galleries category.
• 72% voted Princes Street Gardens as the best park.
• 67% voted Edinburgh Castle as the best tourist attraction.
• 62% voted Finnegan’s Wake as the best pub.
• 36% voted Espionage top in the club and gig venues category.
• 20% voted Jamie’s Italian as the best place to eat.
Kaplan surveyed students from Saudi Arabia, Italy, Brazil, Spain, Switzerland, France, Turkey, Germany, Venezuela, Colombia, South Korea, Russia, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Iran, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, United Arab Emirates, Poland, Kurdistan, Ukraine, Sweden, Luxembourg, Republic of San Marino, Liechtenstein, Belgium, Iceland and Bosnia.
About Kaplan International Colleges
Kaplan International Colleges is part of Kaplan, Inc., an international education services provider offering higher education, professional training, and test preparation. Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO). http://www.kaplaninternational.com
About the Festival City Theatre Trust
Festival City Theatres Trust is responsible for the operation and management of two of Scotland’s major presenting venues – The Festival and King’s Theatres in Edinburgh. The Trust, which is a registered charity, was formed in July 1998 with the merger of the two theatres. It is the largest independent theatre management in Scotland.
About the Festival Theatre
The Festival Theatre stands on the site of the old Empire Theatre and opened in 1994, boasting the largest stage of any presenting house in Britain at the time. Today, at just over 2,500 square feet it is the largest performance area in Scotland, second only to the Royal Opera House in the UK, and is established as one of the country’s most prestigious venues. Not only is it the Capital’s home for Scottish Ballet and Scottish Opera, and at the heart of the Edinburgh International Festival, it has also gained an international reputation as one of the leading dance houses in the world. The 1915-seat venue hosts a cutting-edge contemporary dance season alongside large-scale musicals, international ballet productions and a variety of one-night musical events. http://www.edtheatres.com
About the King’s Theatre
The King’s plays host to major touring drama, including West End, National Theatre of Scotland and Royal Shakespeare Company productions. The venue was built as a variety theatre in 1906 and over the years has played host to legendary performers such as Stanley Baxter, Rikki Fulton and Jimmy Logan. The 1350-seat venue continues to play a prominent role in the community, hosting the ever-popular King’s pantomime and a number of productions from local amateur societies throughout the year.
Martin Hofschroer, Kaplan International Colleges, http://www.kaplaninternational.com/, +44-207-045-5126, [email protected]
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