The Adam Smith Theatre story goes back to 1889 when then Provost Michael Beveridge called for a memorial to Kirkcaldy’s most famous son, Adam Smith, who is known as the father of modern economics.

To make it happen, he left a sizeable bequest in his will of £50,000 (the equivalent of £7 million today!) to build a public hall, a park and a library.

The building was opened on 11 October 1889 by another famous Fifer, philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who described it as a hall “for concerts, charades, private theatricals, meetings of philanthropic committees, lectures upon interesting and instructive topics and entertainments of all kinds”.

It became a popular venue for opera, concerts, dance exhibitions and even boxing tournaments. Post-World War Two it strengthened its theatrical roots with weekly plays and forging links with Kirkcaldy’s Amateur Operatic Society and Gilbert and Sullivan Society.

In 1972, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Adam Smith, the halls were renovated to create a cultural centre, reopening in 1973 as the Adam Smith Centre.

This created the current auditorium for use as a theatre, concert hall and cinema.

In the years since, its hosted shows with top entertainers and touring productions while maintaining close relationships with more than a dozen local amateur groups.

It’s closed again for its next transformation, this time into a creative hub for the whole community.