Historic Inverness place names are to be remembered in the new Eden Court it was announced today.

The venue will reopen on 3 November following the completion of a £23million capital development project that has transformed it into the biggest and best venue in Scotland.

In the final days before the curtains draw back on the impressive arts complex, finishing touches are being made to the two theatres, two cinemas, drama and dance studios, bars, restaurant and the restored and refurbished Bishop's Palace.

For the first time since the year 2000 Inverness will have two city-centre based cinemas. Audiences were previously able to enjoy films in Eden Court's sole cinema until the venue's closure for redevelopment and could also see the latest releases at The La Scala Cinema off Academy Street, until its closure at the start of the decade. Eden Court's newly constructed 140-seat state-of-the-art cinema will be named the La Scala after the venue, whilst the second 86-seat cinema will be known as The Playhouse, after The Playhouse Cinema which presented film screenings and theatre performances in Academy Street until 1972.

The 1976-built theatre will now be known as the Empire Theatre after the famous Inverness venue that saw great names such as Sir Harry Lauder, Noel Coward, Kenneth MacKellar and Andy Stewart travel to the Highland capital to perform. Built in what had been Inverness's first cinema in Academy Street, The Empire opened its doors in 1931 and entertained audiences until its closure in 1970.

In choosing the names of the new spaces, Eden Court undertook a consultation process with various organisations including its statuary funders. The Highland Council suggested drawing upon the expertise of local historian and senior librarian Norman Newton. Norman's team at Am Baille, the bilingual website which acts as a digital archive for the history and culture of the Highlands, subsequently developed the entirely fitting proposal to name the spaces after former theatres and cinemas in Inverness.

The first of Eden Court's two professional drama and dance studios has been named The Jim Love Studio in honour of the late Inverness Courier editor Jim Love. A longstanding supporter and friend of Eden Court, Jim wrote extensively on performances at the theatre over many years in his capacity as an arts correspondent and editor, and he was also the author of the 2001 book, Prize Possession, which detailed the history of Eden Court. The studios are the first such facilities in the Highlands and will complement Eden Court's hugely successful Arts Education programme. They will be open to all ages and abilities, offer workshops, residences, courses and classes in drama, dance, movement and stage techniques.

Announcing the venue names, Director Colin Marr said,

"When we began to think about the names for the spaces inside Eden Court we had lots of ideas. However, one series of names stood out above all the rest and caught everyone's imagination. We are delighted to have this link with historic Inverness. In the past many performers entertained the people of the Highlands and we are continuing this tradition now and into the future".

Last week the name of the newly constructed 270-seat theatre was announced as the OneTouch Theatre. The name was chosen by Inverness-based company LifeScan Scotland. Recognised worldwide for its work with diabetes testing kits, the company, the Highland's largest single private employer, supported the Eden Court development with a donation to the Eden Court Appeal. This corporate sponsorship was one of the largest single private sector donations ever made in Scotland.

Other named spaces in the building include the Tulloch Link, a carefully designed and constructed passageway from the old Eden Court into the new, the MacLean Room, sponsored by MacLean Electrical, the SGL Board Room, sponsored by SGL Carbon, The Tulloch Homes Room, Sponsored by Tulloch Homes, and The Provost Smith memorial chapel, all of which are located within the Bishop's Palace. Two of Eden Court's bars have also been named: The Newsroom, sponsored by The Press And Journal, and The Printers' Bar sponsored by ICR solutions, Danwood Highland and Ian MacDonald Insurance Services.

For further details please contact Martin Cameron on 01463 239841 or mcameron@eden-court.co.uk