HirE the Old Red Lion Theatre

If you would like to bring your alternative festive show to us this Christmas please scroll down for further details...  

PRODUCTION PROPOSALS

The Old Red Lion Theatre programmes full production runs of between 3 to 4 weeks, as well as Sunday/Monday shows and the occasional shorter run. For longer runs, we tend to programme up to 6 months in advance, sometimes longer, as it can often be necessary to enable companies to raise the full budget of their production.

Please be aware that we prioritise proposals from companies and artists who are seeking programming for full 3 to 4 weeks runs of their production. We aim to respond to all artists within 2 months of the original submission of their play/production proposal.

We are particularly interested in challenging, new work and ambitious revivals of significant plays from the past, which reflect important new perspectives on our current society and that the UK stage may not have seen for some time.

HOW TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL TO US

As most artists are acutely aware, Off West-End and Fringe theatres including the Old Red Lion are facing some of the toughest artistic and economic barriers the UK theatre industry has experienced in recent history.

Before submitting your play, please therefore take note that we regrettably only have the resources to accept submissions for plays and productions which either:

Already have a Producer attached to the production.

And/or already have some funding confirmed.

We unfortunately do not have the internal resources to offer feedback on any unsolicited scripts which are sent to us, so please therefore do not submit your play or production proposal should you not have a Producer, or some degree of funding, already confirmed. 

Should you contact us without detailing whether your play already has a producer or some degree of funding already confirmed, it is unlikely you will receive a response from us. 

Please do bear in mind that we cannot meet with artists prospectively. We need to see some of your work first, and will approach you for a meeting if we are interested in developing a relationship. Therefore, if you have a full production, rehearsed reading, scratch performance, festival or other public platform of your work that you would like us to see, please do send us an invitation using the details on our Contact Us page. If the project is of interest to the ORL, then we will do our very best to find a venue representative to attend. Please note that we do not have the resources to offer any feedback on your production.

Should you not have a producer or degree of funding confirmed, we would recommend attending one of our other opportunities such as our frequent networking events or workshops, which we deliver with the specific aim of helping artists reach those who can support the production of their work. These will be listed on our Events page as and when the events are organised. 

WHAT TO SEND US

To propose a new production for programming, we need you to send us the following information:

• Your name.
• A contact telephone number.
• Your email address.
• Your agent’s details (if applicable).
   
• A copy of the most recent draft of the script in .PDF format, with a title page and page numbers in the script. Word documents are also accepted, but your script will not be read if it is not in one of these two formats.
   
• A brief outline of the project and why it excites you.
• Information about your creative and production team.
• Information about who the Producer of your production is.
• Whether the production has secured any funding yet.
   
• Your preferred dates and the length of run you’re seeking.
• An answer to the question, “Why the ORL?”

Please send your proposal to Jack Robertson - productions.medium.rare@gmail.com

CHRISTMAS 2025 

If you have a production that would suit our festive season we are looking to cover the following dates: 

9th - 28th DECEMBER 

We Particularly enjoy anything dark & alternative over more typical "JOLLY" Christmas theatre... Seeking productions that can run for one or two weeks or special one-off events. 

contact: Productions.medium.rare@gmail.com

Programming and Submissions Policy 

Alongside our main programme of work, the Old Red Lion Theatre is also available to hire for Sunday and Monday night performances, Edinburgh Previews, rehearsed readings, showcases, rehearsal space and location filming.

For more information about our rates, and to enquire about bookings, please e-mail productions.medium.rare@gmail.com

The Space

Theatre Capacity: 45

Full ground plans are available on request through contacting the email address above.