Leitheatre was founded in 1946 in Kirkgate Church in Leith , Scotland by a group of people interested in drama, encouraged by the Rev James Scott Marshall. Originally their work was of a religious nature, but it soon broadened into a more general repertoire under the direction of Jim Alexander - Kirkgate Drama Group had been formed.  

Both a pre-eminent member of the Scottish Community Drama Association and an outstanding director, he established high standards and was the mainstay of the group throughout the 50s and 60s.  

The first performance was in March 1946 - a double bill consisting of "The Call of the Glen" and "Mary's Sister John". Tickets for this performance were available for the princely sum of 1/6d (equivalent to 7.5p)!  
In 1956 two members proposed censorship -Jim replied that if he was not fit to choose suitable plays, then he was not fit to be an elder of the church - he won his point.

Up until the 1970s the group presented its performances in Kirkgate Church hall, but in 1973 a problem arose - Kirkgate Church was amalgamated with South Leith Church, and a theatre license could not be obtained for the shared hall in South Leith: a change of performance venue was forced upon us, and the group began to use Moray House Theatre (amongst others) - a move up into a 'real theatre'. In addition, as the group was no longer affiliated to Kirkgate Church , it was felt a new name was needed - Leitheatre was born, giving us a new identity but still reflecting our Leith roots.

In the late 70s further church mergers offered the club an opportunity to move into larger rehearsal and storage facilities in the old Hillside Church in Greenside Place, beside the Playhouse Theatre. Around the same time, relishing the challenge of more ambitious productions, the group changed its performance venue to the Church Hill Theatre where we continue to stage our Spring and Autumn shows ....

In 1984 the group ventured into the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, successfully staging “A Letter to the General” at St Serf's Hall in Goldenacre. A fringe production has become a fixture within our calendar every year since then, and we have a attracted a regular audience who enjoy the Leitheatre style of entertainment.

The 90s found the group homeless again as our rehearsal space was earmarked for redevelopment and a (lengthy!) period ensued where we became the dramatic equivalent of wandering troubadours, rehearsing our shows and storing our sets wherever we could! Things came to a head in 1997 when we were to be evicted from our storage facilities, but at the eleventh hour we managed to purchase premises at 20 Sunnyside, off Easter Road in Edinburgh . After 51 years, Leitheatre had a permanent home! Many months of renovation and hard work ensued, and by autumn 1998 the first production to be rehearsed and have its set constructed at Sunnyside was staged. In 2001, the adjacent property at 22 Sunnyside was purchased. We now have two rehearsal areas, a large workshop, a scenery store, an extensive wardrobe and dressing room area, a props room and a technical storeroom. A Green Room, a library, kitchen and toilets complete the facilities in our clubrooms.

Throughout our history, Leitheatre has performed works by a wide ranging variety of authors: the likes of Shakespeare, Shaw, Wilde, Arthur Miller, Thornton Wilder, Robert Bolt, Agatha Christie, Terence Rattigan, Alan Ayckbourn, James Scotland, Christopher Fry and Robert McClellan to name but a few....