Reopening of Citizens marks Scottish drama renaissance

The long-awaited reopening of the Citizens theatre in Glasgow will mark a turning point for Scottish drama in 2025, with new artistic leadership across several venues, including Alan Cumming at Pitlochry Festival theatre, and a renewed determination to champion work beyond London.

- Libby Brooks

The Citizens will return to its home in Gorbals after the first major refurbishment of the category-B listed building since it began life as a working theatre in 1878.

After the seven-year hiatus, a new commission, Small Acts of Love, will open in September 2025. The collaboration between the playwright Frances Poet and the composer Ricky Ross, the lead singer of the rock band Deacon Blue, examines the bonds of friendship forged between the people of Lockerbie and the American relatives after the Pan Am flight 103 bombing in December 1988.

The artistic director of the Citizens theatre, Dominic Hill, said that despite delays and soaring costs, momentum was building towards the reopening. He added that incoming artistic directors at Pitlochry, as well as Jemima Levick at Glasgow's Tron and James Brining at Edinburgh's Lyceum, would usher in "a really exciting phase" in Scottish theatre.

Hill said that after a recent dinner for artistic directors from across the country, "there's a real desire and ambition to get going and to create the best work that we can, and to make sure that Scottish work is seen as exciting as work in London".