Citizens Theatre Glasgow building renewal images, Gorbals regeneration design, Reopening news

Citizens Theatre Redevelopment : Glasgow Architecture

Victorian Building Renovation, Scotland Arts venue design by Bennetts Associates Architects, UK.

post updated 12 + 6 March 2025

With doors to the iconic Glasgow Theatre set to open for the first time since 2018…

photo : Eoin Carey

Citizens Theatre unveils first stage productions and homecoming celebrations as countdown to August reopening begins

With doors set to open for the first time since 2018, Gorbals locals will be some of the first people invited to experience the newly transformed building.
New work will be at the heart of the reopening with Citizens Theatre commissions launching the main stage.
The new Studio Theatre will open with shows by the Citizens Theatre Young Company and Community Collective.

Tickets for the first shows will go on general sale from the end of March, a major milestone in the theatre’s redevelopment journey.
Productions including Small Acts of Love, So Young, The Glass Menagerie, and an all-new Christmas show, Beauty and the Beast, will welcome audiences back to the Citz from September 2025.

photo courtesy of Bennetts Associates

Citizens Theatre Opening

The Citizens Theatre will invite its Gorbals neighbours and the wider Glasgow community to get involved in its opening celebrations as one of the city’s most treasured cultural venues prepares to reopen its doors later this year. Today, audiences are given a first glimpse of the activity that will welcome them back. Tickets to the first stage productions will go on sale at the end of March.

As redevelopment works on site at the iconic theatre move into their final phase, Glasgow locals will be among the first people invited to come and experience the building afresh. They will be invited to cross the threshold as part of a homecoming festival in late summer that will see the Citz burst into life again with readings, sharings, exhibitions, tours and workshops celebrating the theatre’s past, present, and future.

photo : Eoin Carey

Opening Season

The celebrations will kick off an opening season which sees community sitting at the heart of the activities, as creative life returns to all corners of the building for the first time in seven years. In that time period, the Citizens Theatre has continued to present shows on stages across the city and on tour, and its participation work with individuals and communities has never stopped. It has also commissioned and developed new work with over ten different writers, three of which are featured in the opening programme of work.

Citizens Theatre Media Tour – Lewis Hetherington, Douglas Maxwell, Kate Denby, Dominic Hill, Catrin Evans, Graham, Sutherland:

photo : Eoin Carey

The first production on the mainstage will be Small Acts of Love, a major new work about the bonds formed between families on both sides of the Atlantic in the wake of the Pan Am 103 atrocity. Commissioned by the Citizens Theatre, and presented in association with the National Theatre of Scotland, the new theatrical and musical collaboration between playwright Frances Poet and composer Ricky Ross (Deacon Blue) has been painstakingly researched and developed with support from families and communities who were directly affected. This story of love, friendship, and community will be brought to life by a large ensemble cast and band and will premiere in September 2025.

Further main-stage productions in the Autumn will include Douglas Maxwell’s brilliant 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 at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe to award-winning acclaim. It will now be presented to Glasgow audiences for the first time. So Young is a Raw Material and Traverse Theatre production in association with the Citizens Theatre.

An ambitious new production of the seminal Tennessee Williams drama The Glass Menagerie, presented by Dundee Rep Theatre in association with the Citizens Theatre, will also visit in the autumn.

photo courtesy of Bennetts Associates

Towards the end of the year, audiences can look forward to the return of the much-loved Citz Christmas show, with a new, specially commissioned festive production of Beauty and the Beast. Written by Lewis Hetherington, this flamboyant, funny, and heartwarming take on the classic fairytale will delight audiences of all ages. Meanwhile, the new Studio Theatre will host The Gift, for younger visitors aged 18months – 5 years, as part of the festive programme. Winner of a CATS award for Best Show for Children and Young People, this show by Barrowland Ballet explores the true joy that can come from the imagination and will visit Glasgow for the first time.

The transformational redevelopment of the Citzens Theatre, the first since the Category B-listed building began life as a working theatre in 1878, has brought the building into the 21^st century while carefully preserving its unique Victorian heritage. From the iconic auditorium and stagehouse to the historic under stage machinery and working paint frame, (one of the last of its kind in the UK), the design of the building by Bennetts Associates has opened up public access to the building’s heritage.

Now audiences and artists will be able to benefit from resources including new accessible rehearsal, participation, and studio spaces, supporting expanded activities for communities and offering Scotland’s rich ecology of theatre companies new spaces to rehearse and perform in.

This includes a newly designed 150-seat Studio Theatre, which sits at the heart of the building and will be officially opened by two of the theatre’s Participate groups later this year, when the Young Co. and the Community Collective present new pieces of work entitled The Close and Game On.

Citizens Theatre Media Tour – Kate Denby, Graham Sutherland, Dominic Hill, Catrin Evans:

photo : Eoin Carey

A new and expanded Participate programme will be launched in the coming months, offering a range of opportunities to build connections and nurture the creativity and skills of theatre-makers from all communities, especially those traditionally marginalised – underlining the inclusive spirit that will make the theatre a valuable creative hub for the whole city. Accessibility and affordability have been central to the theatre’s plans for reopening. Ensuring there are ticket prices for all pockets is a key part of those plans.

Launching a brand-new membership scheme, annual Theatre Pass holders will save the more they visit. For an annual £30 fee (just £2.50/month), audiences can be first in line for tickets with priority booking as well as enjoy discounts and 2for1 offers. Moreover, early booking bargain-hunters can snap up tickets for less than £20 through the theatre’s new ‘Lucky Dip’ promotion that discounts top price tickets by 50%.

In addition, the theatre’s longstanding commitment to its Gorbals neighbours will continue through a new Gorbals Pass giving access to tickets for just £5 for locals with a G5 postcode.

Additional low-priced offers will also be available for under 30’s, those on low income and those with access requirements.

Available across all seats and performances if booked in advance, memberships only require a straightforward sign-up process to access the discounts.

Tickets for the first productions will go on sale to audiences at the end of March. Full details can be found at citz.co.uk

photo courtesy of Bennetts Associates

Dominic Hill, Artistic Director, Citizens Theatre said: “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, said: “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, said:

“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.”

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Citizens Theatre 2025 Shows

Tickets will go on sale in March for productions that will run up to end of December 2025:

Priority booking for Theatre Pass holders and Supporters – from 19 March
General public sale – from 26 March

MAIN THEATRE

A Citizens Theatre production in association with National Theatre of Scotland

Small Acts of Love

By Frances Poet and Ricky Ross

Directed by Dominic Hill

9 Sep – 4 Oct

Press Night:12 Sep, 7.30pm

This production is supported by The Hunter Foundation and was developed with the support of the National Theatre’s Generate programme.

Dundee Rep in association with Citizens Theatre and Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

The Glass Menagerie

By Tennessee Williams

Directed by Andrew Panton

21 Oct – 25 Oct

A Raw Material and Traverse Theatre production in association with Citizens Theatre

So Young

By Douglas Maxwell

Directed by Gareth Nicholls

28 Oct – 8 Nov

Citizens Theatre

Beauty and the Beast

By Lewis Hetherington

Directed by Dominic Hill

29 Nov – 31 Dec

Press Night: 5 Dec, 7pm

STUDIO THEATRE

Citizens Theatre Young Co.

Close

By Citizens Theatre Young Co. and Jenny Knotts

Directed by Neil Packham

8 Oct – 11 Oct
Press night: 9 Oct, 7.45pm

Citizens Theatre Community Collective

Game On

Devised by the Community Collective with Elly Goodman & Neil Packham

Directed by Elly Goodman and Neil Packham

22 – 25 Oct

Press night: 23 Oct, 7.45pm

Barrowland Ballet

The Gift

Created and choreographed by Natasha Gilmore

December 2025

Redevelopment Project

The Citizens Theatre moved out of its historic home in the Gorbals in June 2018, ahead of the first major redevelopment of the Category B listed building since it began life as a working theatre in 1878. The redeveloped building will transform the experiences of audiences, participants and performers and secure the future of one of Scotland’s most iconic buildings and leading producing theatre companies.

Designed by Bennetts Associates, the extensive redevelopment is bringing the iconic building into the 21^st century. At its heart is a substantial restoration of the original sandstone Victorian auditorium, wrapped in an entirely new three storey building which crucially provides universal access for artists and audiences. It also delivers new rehearsal, participation, and studio spaces supporting expanded activities for the community and offering Scotland’s rich ecology of theatre companies’ new spaces to rehearse and perform in. This includes a new 150 seat Studio Theatre.

Main works on site are in their final phase as we enter a major 6-month fit out period to return the building to a working theatre.

The theatre will reopen in August 2025 with a full season programme from September 2025.

Key funders of the project include Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Creative Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland in addition to a range of trusts and foundations and individual supporters.

About the Citizens Theatre

The Citizens Theatre is Glasgow’s major producing theatre and one of the leading theatre companies in the UK. It is internationally renowned for ground-breaking theatre productions and a pioneering programme of participatory and community work. It is led by Artistic Director, Dominic Hill who is regarded as having “a talent for classical drama which is genuinely world class.” (Daily Telegraph) and Executive Director, Kate Denby.

The theatre presents bold new interpretations of classic texts alongside new writing. It is firmly rooted in the Gorbals community at the heart of Glasgow’s cultural and creative offering, while maintaining a national and international outlook.

Previously on Glasgow Architecture:

18 Dec

Design: Bennetts Associates, architects

Citizens Theatre Renovation HLF Grant

£4.8 million HLF grant for a transformational redevelopment project

Citizens Theatre Awarded £4.8 Million National Lottery Support

Citizens Theatre Renovation HLF Grant

Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre has received a confirmed grant of £4.8 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for its transformational redevelopment project, it was announced today (Monday 18 December).

Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, this exciting and ambitious project will result in the conservation, repair and expansion of one of Scotland’s oldest, and much loved, working theatres. It will protect the physical asset for future generations whilst preserving and revealing the most significant parts of its heritage: the Victorian auditorium at the heart of the site; its rare collection of original 19th century stage machinery and a unique example of a working paint frame.

The project will also explore and celebrate the fascinating social and cultural heritage of the building and the Company, increase public engagement and ensure ‘The Citz’, as it is affectionately known, continues to make and deliver world class theatre for the benefit of local, national and international audiences.

The redevelopment, designed by architectural practice Bennetts Associates, is a radical reworking of the existing building to provide new learning spaces, rehearsal rooms and a 152 seat studio theatre. It will also improve working conditions for staff and transform front of house spaces for greater use by audiences, participants and the local community.

The project will be underpinned by 12 creative heritage focused activities including creating a heritage hub on the theatre company’s website; helping people to share their stories about the Citizens; providing volunteer opportunities; and bringing the work of the theatre to life through specially linked heritage productions, to wider audiences and visitors.

Commenting on the award, Judith Kilvington, Executive Director of the Citizens Theatre, said: “We’re delighted that we’ve received this significant support thanks to National Lottery players. This critical funding will allow us not only to preserve our Victorian theatre but also to tell stories which help to uncover and communicate the physical, architectural, social and cultural heritage of the Citizens Theatre to many future generations of theatre goers, participants, and visitors.

“With our increased heritage engagement plans, we will be able to attract new audiences and participants to the theatre for the first time and encourage a deeper level of engagement amongst our existing audiences by offering a variety of ways to explore the Citizens Theatre’s rich and multi-faceted heritage.

“Our redevelopment project is at the heart of the regeneration of the Gorbals and Laurieston and will create a vital cultural landmark and community hub for all the people who use the building.”

Lucy Casot, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said: “We are delighted to bring some Christmas cheer to one of Scotland’s oldest and best-loved theatres. Thanks to players of the National Lottery, the Citizens Theatre will undergo a transformation which shines a light on its incredible Victorian heritage while providing the modern facilities expected today. After 139 years of entertaining audiences, her future as one of the country’s outstanding production theatres is rosy.”

In June 2018, Citizens Theatre Company will move out of the Category B listed building, which it leases from Glasgow City Council, for over two years. Thanks to a partnership with Glasgow Life the Company will continue to produce its ground-breaking work at Tramway and provide its Citizens Learning activities at Scotland Street School Museum. The Company will move back into its iconic Gorbals home in autumn 2020.

The Citizens Theatre Building is now one of the few remaining old buildings left in the area and has been at the heart of the Gorbals since it opened as His Majesty’s Theatre in 1878. It was then known as the Royal Princesses Theatre until the building was first leased to James Bridie’s Citizens Theatre Company in 1945. The building has significant community and historical relevance for the city of Glasgow, and specifically for the Gorbals.

For more information please go to: http://www.citz.co.uk/support/citizens-theatre/theatre-redevelopment

Citizens Theatre in Glasgow

Background

Citizens Theatre – A Building, A Company, A Community

The Citizens Theatre Company’s vision is to transform and enhance lives though performance and participation that everyone can access. The Company has already successfully secured £16.3m in pledges towards the redevelopment project from Glasgow City Council, Heritage Lottery Fund, Scottish Government (Culture Budget, Regeneration Capital Grant Fund and Historic Environment Scotland), The Robertson Trust and a variety of other trusts and individuals.

An application (Round 2) to Creative Scotland for £1.5m has been submitted with a decision due in January. The theatre recently launched its ‘We Are Citizens’ public fundraising campaign which will inspire, engage, and encourage others to help raise £1.6 million for the building redevelopment. The theatre’s first production at Tramway will be Cyrano de Bergerac, a co-production with The National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh from 1 to 22 September 2018.

Citizens Theatre Redevelopment

Auditorium and Stage House
The Victorian auditorium and stage-house will be overhauled to provide a much improved standard of accommodation and facilities. Effective heating and ventilation will be added to the auditorium resolving current issues around comfort. New seating will be installed in the upper level which will improve sightlines and capacity.

There will be decoration and repairs throughout. The stage-house will receive significant upgrades with the addition of a new fly tower and a new stage with the original rake will be re-installed; new openings to improve access to the stage for actors, equipment and scenery; new band pit; and the development of a viewing gallery that takes the visitor into the heart of the historic stage machinery.

New Wing
Failing and poorly conceived architectural interventions and additions from the 1980s will be demolished to make way for a new wing that will link back of house and front of house effectively for the first time. The public will to be able to visit and see into key areas of Victorian heritage including the paint frame, fly floor, auditorium, under-stage and cellar including the historic stage machinery, on a day to day basis making the heritage some of the most readily accessible examples of its kind in Europe.

This wing will also provide a spacious new public foyer, characterised by the newly exposed sandstone gable wall of the Victorian auditorium, complete with café, ground floor and first floor bars, a bookable multi-function space, increased numbers of toilets including more disabled toilets, and new cloakroom and box office.

From the courtyard and the close that runs to back of house there will be easy access to the existing main rehearsal room (previously only accessible from backstage), a new studio rehearsal room, a dedicated learning rehearsal/workshop space, and two learning/events spaces. There will also be the creation of a new 152 seat studio theatre.

The new wing will incorporate a larger, more practical construction and carpentry workshop as well as new painting and metal work areas with the Victorian paint frame still in regular use at the heart of this operation. Additional dressing rooms with better facilities will be added along with new showers and toilets. There will also be improved facilities for backstage staff with new wardrobe making facilities and reorganised technical storage provided.

Backstage
The current arrangement of tiny offices spread throughout the building will be consolidated in a large open-plan office situated backstage but well connected to the foyer. It will be supported by a large breakout area for informal meetings, a green room/staff room as well as eight new spaces that can either function as office space, bookable meeting rooms or self-contained offices for external cultural partners to take up residency at the Citizens.

Accessibility
The current arrangement featuring multiple level changes and stairs has been redesigned to create level access and easy/transparent circulation routes for staff, participants and audiences members throughout the majority of the building. There is new and improved lift access from the basement right up to the top floor enabling those with impaired mobility significantly better access to the upper tiers of the auditorium and front of house in particular.

There are also new positions for wheelchair users designed into the Dress Circle for the first time and a much improved selection of positions in the Stalls auditorium and studio theatre, as well as improved way-finding and technology to make the theatre more accessible.

Repairs/Environmental
There will be repairs to the external stonework and masonry, the statues, roof-works and drainage as well as replacement or refurbishment of windows and doors throughout. All mechanical and electrical installations will be replaced and modernised with efficient new installations as well as complemented with zero-carbon technology including photovoltaic solar panels and air source heat pump. This, along with much improved material performance and air tightness, will ensure the future sustainability of the company’s operations.

About the Heritage Lottery Fund
Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about – from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #HLFsupported.

CITIZENS THEATRE
119 Gorbals Street
Glasgow, G5 9DS

0141 429 5561 (Switchboard)

25 Mar 2016

Citizens Theatre Renovation Planning Approval

Design: Bennetts Associates, architects

Citizens Theatre Renovation Planning Approval

Redevelopment plans for Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre have taken a major step forward with the granting of planning consent.

Work on the £20.5 m project is now set to start in late 2017 or early 2018 and be completed in spring 2020, subject to funding being in place.

The 138-year-old theatre will remain open throughout the project, which does not include any major changes to the existing auditorium, apart from improvement to the air-conditioning.

The major part of the work is to the 20th century additions to the original Victorian structure. The actors’ facilities, backstage areas and construction workshops will be improved through reorganisation and refurbishment. A new administration hub will also be created.

Expressing her delight in the decision from Glasgow City Council, the theatre’s executive director Judith Kilvington said: “We are passionate about being an inclusive organisation that breaks down barriers to participation but the building in which we operate is no longer fit for purpose.

“Our vision for the future of our building is that will be able to engage with every aspect of our programme, heritage and history, and that we will provide improved working conditions for artists, participants and staff.”

Front-of-house work will include the creation of new public areas including a new foyer, cafe, learning and rehearsal studios, with accessibility improved throughout the building.

11 Dec 2015

Citizens Theatre Renovation Submission

Design: Bennetts Associates, architects

Bennetts Associates have submitted plans for the renovation and expansion of Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre by refurbishing the historic auditorium whilst sweeping away later piecemeal additions to allow a wraparound new build structure.

This will allow creation of additional accommodation for learning, studios and workshops as well as building a new street frontage and foyer with a new front to back connection created alongside the existing auditorium to provide full public access to historic stage machinery.

The architects maintain that “The façade to Gorbals Street has open-ness and transparency that will reveal the auditorium gable and the activity of the foyer. It will make the theatre open and welcoming, and allow it to engage with the street.

“The auditorium will be at the centre of the scheme, and the layers of modern finishes will be stripped back to reveal its sandstone walls. Foyer spaces will be placed dramatically between the new accommodation and the old walls of the auditorium, with stairs and bridges occupying the space between.”

Elevation materials:
brick ; pre-cast concrete string course ; metal cladding

18 Feb 2013

Citizens Theatre Renovation

Design: Bennetts Associates

Location: Gorbals, south Glasgow

Citizens Theatre Appoints Bennetts Associates as Architects for Major New Redevelopment Project

photo : Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

The Citizens Theatre announces today that architectural practice Bennetts Associates has been selected to work on the plans for a major redevelopment of its iconic Gorbals home. This will be the most comprehensive redevelopment of the building since it opened as a theatre in 1878.

With the support of Glasgow City Council, the Company is now working with Bennetts Associates on the project, anticipated to commence in 2016 subject to funding being secured. It is anticipated that construction costs will be in the order of £6.5m, exclusive of professional fees and VAT. Bennetts Associates is based in Edinburgh and London and recently won numerous awards and plaudits for its work on the transformation of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon.

image courtesy of architects practice

The original Victorian building has been home to the Citizens Theatre Company since 1945. Over the years the building has seen a number of small-scale extensions and developments as it has grown into one of Scotland’s flagship producing theatres. However, it is now in need of repair and renovation. The planned capital project will transform the building creating a new vision for improved rehearsal, administration and learning accommodation, as well as improved facilities for the public.

The Citizens Theatre is owned by Glasgow City Council and the Company is working in partnership with the Council which has supported the cost of the feasibility study for the project.

Announcing the appointment of the architects, Chair of Citizens Theatre Adrienne Scullion said: “I’m delighted that the Citizens Theatre will be working with Bennetts Associates and Glasgow City Council to redevelop our landmark theatre building. This is an important capital project for both the Company and the city.

The Citizens has always valued its place in the heart of the Gorbals and now, with the Laurieston regeneration project underway, it’s the right time for us to invest in a more efficient, more sustainable building for future generations to enjoy.”

Bailie Liz Cameron, Executive Member of Development and Regeneration Services at Glasgow City Council commented: “The Citizens Theatre is a jewel in the crown of Glasgow’s cultural life, and the plans for this capital project will mirror the regeneration of the neighbouring Laurieston area.

The council has been a supporter of the theatre for many years, and will continue to do so through our funding of the feasibility study. This is just the start of the process, and I look forward to the development of this building, which has hosted so many fantastic productions and raised the city’s artistic profile, in the coming years.”

Citizens Theatre Artistic Director Dominic Hill said “I’m looking forward to working with Bennetts Associates to realise our vision for this beautiful and historic theatre, and to provide audiences, artists and staff with quality spaces in which to make and enjoy theatre.

My ambition is to have a building that reflects the Citizens’ reputation for contemporary interpretations of classic texts, while respecting the theatre’s important heritage. I’m grateful to Glasgow City Council for having the vision to support us in our plans to ensure that the Citizens Theatre remains a vital part of the city’s cultural provision for years to come.”

Alasdair Gordon, Associate Director at Bennetts Associates’ Edinburgh office, said: “It is such an exciting time for the Citizens Theatre and we look forward to being a part of this new chapter in the theatre’s remarkable history. From breathing new life into the wonderful Victorian auditorium to providing new rehearsal, education and studio spaces, this ambitious project will transform the experiences of visitors, staff and performers and will secure the future of one of Scotland’s leading producing theatres.”

Bennetts Associates, Citizens Theatre and Glasgow City Council are now working together to take the plans to Royal Institute of British Architects Stage B, enabling the fundraising campaign to begin.

Iconic Strathclyde Arts Venue

The Citizens Theatre is an iconic venue and theatre company based in the Gorbals area of Glasgow. It has been one of Scotland’s flagship producing theatres since 1945, recognised internationally as a leader in its field. It is led by Artistic Director, Dominic Hill.

image from architect

Within a beautiful Victorian auditorium that dates from 1878 the Citizens presents a world-class, contemporary repertoire based on British and foreign classics and new writing. The Grade B listed building opened as His Majesty’s Theatre and was also known as the Royal Princesses Theatre until the building was first leased to the Citizens Theatre Company in 1945.

The theatre retains many of its Victorian architectural features; it is the only theatre in Scotland still to have its original machinery under the stage and features an original Victorian paint frame and related fly system, which is still used today to paint backcloths. The remnants of an old bowling alley and a shooting range are closed up beneath the theatre.

As its name suggests, the Citizens believes that its work can enhance and transform the lives of people of all ages, cultures and social backgrounds. Every week of the year, the Citizens Learning team run activities for children, young people, students, older people and families as well as working closely with marginalised groups, people with additional support needs and in disadvantaged communities across Scotland.

Website: citz.co.uk

Bennetts Associates

Bennetts Associates is one of the UK’s leading architecture practices with a portfolio of work that has won more than 125 awards, with projects in education, commercial and public-sectors as well as theatres, cultural and historic buildings. The firm has a reputation for its design quality, approach to sustainability and for its collaborative style of working.

The practice was behind the highly acclaimed transformation of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, completed in 2010, and the new Hampstead Theatre in London. It is currently working with leading UK theatres on a variety of projects, including a new £40m theatre and library in Chester.

Bennetts Associates is based in London and Edinburgh and is currently around 70 strong. bennettsassociates.com

Architects Shortlist

Bennetts Associates was selected to deliver the planned project from a shortlist of six which also included John McAslan & Partners; cr8 Architects with RHWL Arts; PagePark Architects; Malcolm Fraser Architects and Haworth Tompkins Architects. The shortlist was created following the Official Journal of the European Union tendering process.

Citizens Theatre Redevelopment images / information from Bennetts Associates

Citizens Theatre Glasgow renewal architect : Bennetts Associates

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