The Empire Theatre, which originally opened in 1912 as the Central Hall Picture House, began to stage live shows in 1931 following a fire which destroyed the Theatre Royal on Bank Street by the river. Following works to enlarge the stage and add dressing rooms, the venue was relaunched as the Empire Theatre in 1934 and presented a wide spectrum of theatrical entertainment for the next 36 years.
Over the years, the big names in Scottish Variety played at The Empire, including the likes of Harry Lauder.
Tyrannosaurus Rex played the theatre in May 1970 to an audience of about 100 people just before they hit the big time.
