FringeGuru's review of this venue

One of the few Fringe venues to operate all year round, the Traverse Theatre had already won an impressive reputation before moving into its current home in the early 90's. A leading supporter of new writing, its heavyweight theatrical programme invariably tackles the issues of the day, with a good few world premieres saved for Festival time.

The Trav's big claim to fame is that, once you're past the box office, it's completely underground - occupying a multi-million purpose-built hole just behind the Usher Hall. As though to highlight its separation from Edinburgh's "traditional" theatres, it sports a sleeves-rolled-up industrial look, with unfinished whitewashed walls and strip lighting on your way to the auditorium.

The theatre spaces themselves also favour function over form - especially in Traverse One, a soulless black cube where 800 tonnes of exposed gantries hang high above the audience's heads. But the flexible space makes room for some impressive staging - and with no pillars to get in the way, there's a great view from every seat. Traverse Two is small and intimate by comparison, but still seats over 100 on a few rows of banked seats, which are usually arranged around three sides of the stage.

Dazzle, an annual selling exhibition of contemporary jewelry, occupies the atrium of the Traverse next to the box office. It's a pleasant enough way to pass time before your show - but with the jewelry laid out and priced in glass display cases, it feels a little too much like a trip to a local department store.

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