The Citizens Theatre will invite its Gorbals neighbours and the broader Glasgow group to become involved in its opening celebrations as one of many metropolis’s most treasured cultural venues prepares to reopen its doorways later this 12 months. Today, audiences are given a primary glimpse of the exercise that may welcome them again. Tickets to the primary stage productions will go on sale on the finish of March.
As redevelopment works on website on the iconic theatre transfer into their last part, Glasgow locals can be among the many first individuals invited to return and expertise the constructing afresh. They can be invited to cross the edge as a part of a homecoming pageant in late summer season that may see the Citz burst into life once more with readings, sharings, exhibitions, excursions and workshops celebrating the theatre’s previous, current, and future.
The celebrations will kick off a gap season which sees group sitting on the coronary heart of the actions, as artistic life returns to all corners of the constructing for the primary time in seven years. In that point interval, the Citizens Theatre has continued to current reveals on phases throughout town and on tour, and its participation work with people and communities has by no means stopped. It has additionally commissioned and developed new work with over ten totally different writers, three of that are featured within the opening programme of labor.
The first manufacturing on the mainstage can be Small Acts of Love, a serious new work in regards to the bonds fashioned between households on each side of the Atlantic within the wake of the Pan Am 103 atrocity. Commissioned by the Citizens Theatre, and introduced in affiliation with the National Theatre of Scotland, the brand new theatrical and musical collaboration between playwright Frances Poet and composer Ricky Ross (Deacon Blue) has been painstakingly researched and developed with help from households and communities who have been immediately affected. This story of affection, friendship, and group can be delivered to life by a big ensemble solid and band and can premiere in September 2025.
Further main-stage productions within the Autumn will embrace Douglas Maxwell’s sensible Glasgow-set comedy So Young, exploring mid-life meltdowns, grief and love with hilarious situational humour. Co-commissioned by the Citz, Raw Material and the Traverse Theatre, it premiered on the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe to award-winning acclaim. It will now be introduced to Glasgow audiences for the primary time. So Young is a Raw Material and Traverse Theatre manufacturing in affiliation with the Citizens Theatre.
An bold new manufacturing of the seminal Tennessee Williams drama The Glass Menagerie, introduced by Dundee Rep Theatre in affiliation with the Citizens Theatre, will even go to within the autumn.
Towards the top of the 12 months, audiences can look ahead to the return of the much-loved Citz Christmas present, with a brand new, specifically commissioned festive manufacturing of Beauty and the Beast. Written by Lewis Hetherington, this flamboyant, humorous, and heartwarming tackle the traditional fairytale will delight audiences of all ages. Meanwhile, the brand new Studio Theatre will host The Gift, for youthful guests aged 18months – 5 years, as a part of the festive programme. Winner of a CATS award for Best Show for Children and Young People, this present by Barrowland Ballet explores the true pleasure that may come from the creativeness and can go to Glasgow for the primary time.
The transformational redevelopment of the Citzens Theatre, the primary because the Category B-listed constructing started life as a working theatre in 1878, has introduced the constructing into the 21st century whereas fastidiously preserving its distinctive Victorian heritage. From the enduring auditorium and stagehouse to the historic beneath stage equipment and dealing paint body, (one of many final of its type within the UK), the design of the constructing by Bennetts Associates has opened up public entry to the constructing’s heritage.
Now audiences and artists will have the ability to profit from assets together with new accessible rehearsal, participation, and studio areas, supporting expanded actions for communities and providing Scotland’s wealthy ecology of theatre corporations new areas to rehearse and carry out in.
This features a newly designed 150-seat Studio Theatre, which sits on the coronary heart of the constructing and can be formally opened by two of the theatre’s Participate teams later this 12 months, when the Young Co. and the Community Collective current new items of labor entitled The Close and Game On.
A brand new and expanded Participate programme can be launched within the coming months, providing a variety of alternatives to construct connections and nurture the creativity and abilities of theatre-makers from all communities, particularly these historically marginalised – underlining the inclusive spirit that may make the theatre a helpful artistic hub for the entire metropolis. Accessibility and affordability have been central to the theatre’s plans for reopening. Ensuring there are ticket costs for all pockets is a key a part of these plans.
Launching a brand-new membership scheme, annual Theatre Pass holders will save the extra they go to. For an annual £30 price (simply £2.50/month), audiences could be first in line for tickets with precedence reserving in addition to take pleasure in reductions and 2for1 provides. Moreover, early reserving bargain-hunters can snap up tickets for lower than £20 by the theatre’s new ‘Lucky Dip’ promotion that reductions prime worth tickets by 50%.
In addition, the theatre’s longstanding dedication to its Gorbals neighbours will proceed by a brand new Gorbals Pass giving entry to tickets for simply £5 for locals with a G5 postcode.
Additional low-priced provides will even be out there for beneath 30’s, these on low revenue and people with entry necessities.
Available throughout all seats and performances if booked prematurely, memberships solely require an easy sign-up course of to entry the reductions.
Tickets for the primary productions will go on sale to audiences on the finish of March. Full particulars could be discovered at citz.co.uk
Dominic Hill, Artistic Director, Citizens Theatre mentioned: “This is a very special moment as we start to unveil an exciting programme of shows and opportunities in the new theatre – for the first time in seven years. The first few months of programming reflects our commitment to both innovation and tradition, with more to be announced over the coming months. While the Citz has always celebrated the great works of drama from the past, the new theatre must look forward too and we’ve been working hard to develop new plays that showcase the talent of writers and artists working in Scotland. These new works embody the spirit of what this theatre has always stood for—creativity, community, and a deep connection to the city of Glasgow. I can’t wait for audiences old and new, local and global, to experience these brilliant productions in a transformed Citizens Theatre, that will inspire audiences and great storytelling.”
Catrin Evans, Participate Director, Citizens Theatre, mentioned: “The reopening of the theatre is about offering a place of possibility and inspiring artistic expression for all. Our Participate programme has always been at the heart of the Citizens Theatre, and the new spaces and programme we can offer for creative engagement are a testament to that commitment. Our community groups now sit proudly at the centre of the building, integrated into the very heartbeat of the theatre. Through our core participatory groups as well as exciting new initiatives, we are ensuring that our high-quality performance projects are underpinned by accessibility. Our homecoming celebrations will mark a pivotal moment as we continue to strive to build a vibrant, inclusive Citizens Theatre community that truly reflects contemporary Glasgow.”
Hannah Armitage, Senior Associate, Bennetts Associates, mentioned:
“The transformation of the Citizens Theatre has been a labour of love, balancing the preservation of its historic character with the creation of contemporary, state-of-the-art facilities. Our design restores and celebrates the much-loved Victorian auditorium while enhancing the theatre’s accessibility, technical capabilities, and creates an entirely new front of house experience. The revitalised Citizens Theatre will not only enrich the experience for audiences but also support the theatre’s world-renowned artistic productions and its invaluable outreach work, ensuring it remains a vital cultural hub for generations to come.”
Leave a Reply