ARPL Architects have completed a £1.5m upgrade and expansion of the Theatre Royal in Dumfries , the oldest theatre in Scotland.  Built in 1792 the theatre occupies a corner site in the town centre and is home to the Guild of Players, an amateur theatre group.

The facilities in the theatre were in need of major upgrade with the building fabric and its technical installations deteriorating. With funding principally from the Holywood Trust, HLF and Dumfries and Galloway Council the theatre purchased the adjoining properties allowing a new range of spaces to be developed.

The design rationalised circulation and created a new three storey foyer giving access to the theatre, a new studio rehearsal space, workshops, costume stores and environmentally controlled costume stores. This now allows the Guild and a wide range of visiting performers to provide a greatly enhanced arts offering to South West of Scotland.