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RCS is one of Scotland’s busiest performing arts venues. Each year we programme hundreds of performances across our venues. Our aim is for many people in the UK and across the world to see the world-leading work that our students and staff create.   

We programme over 500 performances each year across five professional performance venues, all housed within one campus.  

The variety of our performance spaces allows for an enhanced learning experience. Whether it’s performing in our prestigious concert hall, or taking to the stage (or backstage!) in the New Athenaeum Theatre, these venues become working classrooms for all students and will be the places you make lifelong memories.  

Find out more about each of our performance venues below.

Stevenson Hall

Pianist Ethan Loch performs for an audience in Stevenon Hall. The crowd looks down onto the stage where Ethan is playing a piano under stage lights.

The Stevenson Hall is our main concert performance venue. It seats 355 people and is equipped with a full lighting rig and high specification sound system. The hall is finished in natural wood and houses a beautiful, full pipe organ.  

Performances in the Stevenson Hall have included our symphony orchestra playing Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony, Mahler’s Sixth and Seventh symphonies and Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben.  

We regularly host masterclasses from our International Fellows such as The Brodsky Quartet, Stephen Osborne and Donald Runnicles, and performances from our Musiclab ensemble. The Stevenson Hall is fully equipped for broadcast recording and frequently hosts performances for BBC Radio 3.  

The Stevenson Hall is named after Sir Daniel Stevenson, an ex-Lord Provost of Glasgow. He was instrumental in our development as the Glasgow Athenaeum.  

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Stevenson Hall Image Gallery

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A wind orchestra plays in Stevenson Hall.
A lone piano stands in the middle of Stevenson Hall - a performance hall at RCS.
Wind Orchestra students practice in Stevenson Hall. The camera looks down on them. The tutor is composing.
Graduates walk across the stage during the July ceremony.
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra performs with students in the Stevenson Hall.
Guitarist Sean Shibe plays for an audience in Stevenson Hall. The crowd is in shadow. Sean is in a spotlight on the stage.
Pianist Ethan Loch performs for an audience in Stevenon Hall. The crowd looks down onto the stage where Ethan is playing a piano under stage lights.

New Athenaeum Theatre

An empty New Athenaeum Theatre lit up, showing ground, middle, and upper levels. The theatre's walls and chairs are royal cherry red.

The New Athenaeum Theatre is our main performance theatre and seats an audience of 344 people.  

Throughout the year, we stage a range of performances at ‘the Ath’, from our showcase dramatic productions to high profile operas. We also regularly host talks from our professional partners such as the National Theatre of Scotland, BBC Scotland, and the Royal Shakespeare Company.  

We were the first educational establishment in the UK to offer Stage Automation Training as part of our curriculum and alongside our original Stage Technologies flying system, we now have a portable Kinesys system that can be used in any venue. Beside the theatre are the scene dock and technical stores, housing a range of industry-standard lighting and sound equipment.  

 A trip to the Ath is a regular experience for our students, whether they’re treading the boards on stage or working behind the scenes, managing all aspects of technical production.  

The Athenaeum name is a nod to our heritage, as we were known as the Glasgow Athenaeum in 1847, when we were based at the Assembly Rooms in Ingram Street. Then in the 1890s, our first Athenaeum Theatre was opened on Buchanan Street. Most recently it was a restaurant and bar – Buchanan Street’s Hard Rock Cafe.  

Explore the New Athenaeum Theatre in our virtual tour and visit our Box Office to get a ticket for an upcoming performance.  

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New Athanaeum Image Gallery

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The photo is split in two. The top half pictures students performing a scene from 'LEtoile'. The bottom of the photo is of the students playing music for the scene in the Orchestra Pit.
Students perform a scene from 'Three Decembers'.
BA Acting students act during a dress rehearsal of 'A Very Expensive Poison'. A hospital bed is in the middle of the room. White curtains extend around the bed. Two actors, one dressed as a doctor and another as a family member, speak to each other on the left of the bed while an actor in the bed listens.
A student acts in a scene of 'Three Decembers'. He sits on a giant coffin and plays a fiddle.
Students perform a scene from 'Dissocia'. They sit at a long table in dark lighting; they wear bright clothing, party hats although there is a dark, moody tone.
Musical Theatre students perform a scene from 'Merrily We Roll Along' in the New Athenaeum Theatre.
An audience watches a stage during the Welcome Home ceremony.
Musical Theatre students perform during 'L'Etoile'. Neon lights decorate the stage.
Musical Theatre students perform a scene from 'Children of Eden'. In the orechestra pit, a low light illuminates students playing music for the scene.
Close-up image of the red chairs in The New Athenaeum Theatre.

Ledger Recital Room

Woodwind students play in The Ledger Recital Room. A composer directs from the front of the room.

The Ledger Recital Room features a striking, open design with sycamore panelling and a minstrels’ gallery. This recital hall can seat up to 108 people and is the venue for many of our workshops and masterclasses, as well as Blue Monday Jazz concerts.  

Fantastic acoustics and a choice between natural and production light make the Ledger Recital Room an ideal venue.  

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Ledger Recital Room Image Gallery

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Jazz students perform in the The Ledger Recital Room during a Blue Monday event.
A lone piano is in front of red chairs in the Ledger Recital Room on the RCS campus.
Dame Janet Baker hosts a vocal master class in The Ledger Recital Room. Two women watch a singer performing in front of a piano.
Students play cellos during a Studio Collective performance in The Ledger Recital Room.
A flute student practices in The Ledger Recital Room.
Woodwind students play in The Ledger Recital Room. A composer directs from the front of the room.

Chandler Studio Theatre

The Chanlder Studio is empty. Stage lights illuminate the chairs and performance space.

The Chandler Studio Theatre is a versatile studio theatre, seating is available for up to 125 in various configurations.

It’s a black box studio which is used by most performance programmes, including Acting, Musical Theatre, and Classical and Contemporary Text.

As well as staging plays, musicals and small operas, the Chandler is also ideal for devised performances and for technical teaching sessions.

This flexible space is named after Colin Chandler the inaugural Director of our College of Drama.

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Chandler Studio Theatre Image Gallery

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'Faustus - That Damned Woman' set design in The Chandler Studio Theatre. A stump of a tree framed by a circular ramp. A map of a city on tea-stained paper in the background. The top of a tree, made of metal, hanging over the stage.
Confetti covers the fake grass on set of 'Attempts on Her Life' in The Chandler Studio Theatre.
Acting students face each other on set of Coriolanus in The Chandler Studio Theatre.
Students perform 'Glory on Earth' in The Chandler Studio Theatre.
BA Acting student performs a monolouge during a 'Lear' performance in the The Chandler Studio Theatre.
Students perform a scene from 'Romeo & Juliet
Acting students performing during 'Attempts on Her Life' in The Chandler Studio Theatre. The set includes an inflatable pool full of confetti, a mattress ( that two actors are jumping on), a car hood (two actors sit upon), a chair, and a tree.
An actor holds a phone at a work desk on set of 'The Angry Bridgade' in The Chandler Studio Theatre.

Alexander Gibson Opera School (AGOS)

An empty Alexander Gibson Opera Studio showcasing a piano, stage lights, and audience chairs.

The Alexander Gibson Opera School (AGOS) studio was completed in 1998 and seats 147 people. This high specification studio has full production lighting and an advanced sound system.

The AGOS studio is used by our School of Opera for rehearsals and development workshops. It’s the space where we developed our multi-award winning premiere of the original version of War and Peace which was presented in partnership with Scottish Opera before going on tour to Russia.

The AGOS is named after Sir Alexander Gibson, our former president and founder of Scottish Opera.

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AGOS Studio Image Gallery

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The Alexander Gibson Opera School streetview.
Students perform a scene from '3 Decembers' on the stage to the right. On the left, students conduct and play music for the scene.
Two students stand on furniture during a scene from '3 Decembers'.
An empty Alexander Gibson Opera Studio showcasing a piano, stage lights, and audience chairs.

Find out more about our Campus & Facilities

Production Facilities
A high shot looking down on the Wallace Production Room. A group of students work on building a prop in the corner.

Production Facilities

Recording Studios
Two students recording a project. They use two radio-style microphones, a sound board, and a computer. One student is holding his head and laughing.

Recording Studios

Learning & Teaching Facilities
Four panel speakers sit in front of an audience in the Fyfe Lecture Theatre at the RCS campus. The room includes five full rows of audience members. The panel sit in front of a projection screen.

Learning & Teaching Facilities

Accommodation
A bed with floral duvet in a dorm room at BASE student accommodation.

Accommodation