At the heart of Lothian Road's cultural quarter, the Royal Lyceum is an elegant 19th-century building next door to the Usher Hall. It is not only Edinburgh's principle repertory theatre, but the best-attended producing theatre in Scotland. Over the season, which runs from September to May, it stages seven plays as well as a popular Christmas show. Typically, it offers Shakespeare productions, classic texts by playwrights such as Anton Chekhov and Arthur Miller and new Scottish works by writers such as Jo Clifford and John Byrne. It is also one of the key venues for August's Edinburgh International Festival. The first thing you see is the glass- box extension, built in 1991, giving the foyer a bright and contemporary sense of occasion. This is where you'll find the box office, sweet stall and cloakroom. The opulent three-tier auditorium, with its glittering chandelier and traditional red velvet fittings, has room for 650. As well as the three bars, there are two function rooms named after the stars of the first ever production, Henry Irving and Ellen Terry, whose ghost is said to haunt the upper gallery.