Audiences are returning to one of Scotland’s oldest and much-loved theatres, writes JULENA DRUMI
Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre, a landmark in the Gorbals area for 70 years, is back in business after a seven-year revamp that may have got the better of a less determined team who can now sit back and finally welcome back audiences.
Covid and skyrocketing costs have seen the final cost of the work almost double from the initial estimate of £20 million. The restoration has also taken twice as long as first planned and there were warnings that the entire project was at risk of liquidation.
The completed project will be an achievement shared by the entire community. Kate Denby, who joined last October as executive director and Joint CEO alongside artistic director Dominic Hill, says the reopening is “a landmark moment — not just for the building, but for everyone who holds the Citz close to their heart.”
The theatre opened in The Gorbals in 1945, but the building itself – which is leased from Glasgow City Council – dates back to 1878. Pierce Brosnan, Celia Imrie, Rupert Everett, Sophie Ward, Sam Heughan are among those who have performed there and it developed a reputation for groundbreaking stagings.
It also remained close to its community roots, offering discounts for striking trade unionists and subsidised pantomime tickets for local schoolchildren. It now takes its place as part of the Gorbals area which itself as undergone a massive transformation.
The original building with its classical frontage (pic: Citizens Theatre)
The historic auditorium and its Victorian stage equipment, the oldest surviving in the UK, and wrapped it in a new and less architecturally pleasing three-storey building. Six statues which adorned the classical frontage of the original building have been restored and fixed to the new roof.
The statues of the four Greek muses – Melpomene (tragedy), Thalia (comedy), Euterpe (song and poetry) and Terpsichore (dance) – alongside Shakespeare and Burns – date back to when the building first opened in 1878.
The figures survived a fire in 1973 but the building was condemned in 1977 and they were removed and placed in storage.
Inside the new building is a new foyer, bar area and enhanced backstage facilities for performers and a 150-seat Studio Theatre that will open in October.
The 2025-2026 programme:
The first production, Small Acts of Love, about Lockerbie’s response to the Pan Am disaster, will run from 9 Sept-4 Oct. It features original songs by Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue.
Wonder Fools brings it award-winning production Òran. A Fringe First-winner in 2024, Òran is a powerful and poetic retelling of the myth of Orpheus. Blending lyrical storytelling, original music and contemporary Scottish voices, it follows a young man’s journey through love, loss and the underworld, set against a backdrop of grief, masculinity and resilience. Created in collaboration with hip-hop artist Owen Sutcliffe and featuring a stunning score by VanIves, it runs from 29 Oct – 1 Nov.
Flight by Vox Motus lands from 6–15 Nov, inviting audiences into an immersive world of handcrafted miniatures, telling the moving story of two orphaned brothers making their way across Europe.
The new building wraps around the historic auditorium (Image: Citizens Theatre)
Artistic Director Dominic Hill brings a powerful new production of Waiting for Godot to the Citz stage. Co-produced with Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and Octagon Theatre Bolton, and starring Matthew Kelly and George Costigan, this bold new take on Beckett’s masterpiece will run from 20 Feb – 14 Mar.
Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Sweat, in a co-production with the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh. Set in a working-class town at the turn of the 21st century, it’s a taut, deeply affecting story about fractured friendships, economic despair, and the enduring strength of community. Raw, real and utterly gripping. Runs from 2–16 May,
Return of the restored statues (pic: Citizens Theatre)
The Long Drop – a thrilling new stage adaptation of Denise Mina’s bestselling true-crime novel, adapted by Linda McLean, is based on the chilling real-life case of serial killer Peter Manuel, it’s a gripping courtroom drama set in the gritty, shadowy Glasgow underworld of the 1950s. Commissioned during our building’s closure, it’s a story made for the Citz stage. Runs from 5 – 20 Jun.
In the Studio Theatre, Saint Joan will lead the season with a new version of George Bernard Shaw’s history play, reimagined by director Stewart Laing with a new film sequence by Adura Onashile. Joan’s story of rebellion, resistance and radical change couldn’t be timelier — and in a world still grappling with war, unrest and shifting power, this young woman’s fight for justice speaks louder than ever. A co-production with Raw Material, Perth Theatre and Aberdeen Performing Arts, Saint Joan runs from 13–28 February.
Visiting companies include Showstopper! The Improvised Musical which will be making up musicals on the spot from audience suggestions (5–7 Feb), while There’s a Monster in Your Show (14–15 Apr) brings Tom Fletcher’s much-loved children’s books to life in an energetic, interactive show for little ones and their grown-ups.
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