Cast announced for landmark Citizens Theatre homecoming production Small Acts of Love
The Citizens Theatre has revealed the full cast for Small Acts of Love, the first production to be performed on the theatre's home stage in more than seven years when it reopens later this year.
Article Source: Citizens Theatre
Last Updated: 24 June 2025 12:07
Image: The full cast for Small Acts of Love – Top (l to r): Ewan Donald, Simon Donaldson, Blythe Duff, Lewis Fleming, Holly Howden-Gilchrist, Barrie Hunter, Robbie Jack Bottom: Hilary MacLean, Beth Marshall, Nicholas Marshall, Jayne McKenna, Jo Servi, Naomi Stirrat, Mandy Symonds.
Small Acts of Love is a major new work about the bonds of friendship forged between the people of Lockerbie and the American relatives in the wake of the Pan Am 103 atrocity in December 1988. Commissioned by the Citizens Theatre’s Artistic Director Dominic Hill, this new theatrical and musical collaboration between playwright Frances Poet and composer Ricky Ross (Deacon Blue) is presented in association with the National Theatre of Scotland, and will premiere on Friday 12 September.
Dominic Hill, Director, said: “To be announcing our cast for Small Acts of Love today is an exciting and pivotal moment in our journey home. Ranging from some of the most experienced and well-known actors in Scotland to newly graduated stars of the future, this cast and this production announce the ambition and quality of the new Citizens Theatre. And that quality is matched by the creative team who include Olivier Award winning lighting designer Bruno Poet and designer Tom Piper (who has recently revived his celebrated ‘poppy installation’ at the Tower of London). With only a few weeks to go until the start of rehearsals, the whole company is preparing to welcome artists and audiences to our fantastic new building for the first time in 7 years.”
Spanning thirty-six years, Small Acts of Love follows the journey of two communities brought together under extraordinary circumstances. What begins in grief blossoms into connection, as small gestures of kindness grow into lasting bonds of friendship, resilience, and love.
The project has been painstakingly researched and contains representations of real people built from an extensive series of interviews with families and individuals who were directly affected by the Lockerbie atrocity, both in Scotland and the USA.
A generation-spanning cast of 14 actors will bring to life the profound stories of these two communities -from established stars of stage and screen to emerging artists including Ewan Donald, Simon Donaldson, Blythe Duff, Barrie Hunter, Robbie Jack, Beth Marshall, Hilary MacLean, Jayne McKenna, Jo Servi, Naomi Stirrat, Mandi Symonds, Lewis Fleming, Holly Howden-Gilchrist, and Nicholas Marshall.
Blythe Duff returns to the Citizens Theatre following standout performances in Wild Rose at the Lyceum and Escaped Alone at the Tron. Robbie Jack and Beth Marshall both recently appeared in Lockerbie: The Bombing of Pan Am 103, the powerful BBC drama exploring the same real-life events that inspired this new stage production.
Both Holly Howden-Gilchrist and Nicholas Marshall are the 2025 Citizens Theatre Graduate Actors, and will also appear in the venue’s festive production of Beauty and the Beast, written by Lewis Hetherington, later this year.
Dominic Hill, Director, said: “We’re pleased to continue supporting early-career artists through initiatives like our Graduate Actor roles and our partnership with Birkbeck’s MA in Theatre Directing. These placements offer emerging talent the chance to gain experience within a professional producing theatre, and contribute fresh ideas and energy to our work.”
Featuring an original score by Deacon Blue’s Ricky Ross, Small Acts of Love is driven by a brand-new soundtrack performed live on stage by a five-piece roots band. Gavin Whitworth, Musical Director and arranger of the award-winning No Love Songs at Traverse Theatre ; Jessica Kerr, whose expressive vocals have enlivened Glasgow’s vibrant folk-scene; Jill O’Sullivan, celebrated for her bold collaborations and inventive song writing; Cammy Maxwell, a sought-after fiddler and multi-instrumentalist from Scotland’s roots circuit; and Louis Abbott, frontman of Mercury Prize–nominated Admiral Fallow - collaborate to craft a dynamic score pulsing with warmth, grit and soul. Together they weave folk, acoustic, and contemporary textures that illuminate the heart of the story through the live soundtrack and lyrics.
The creative team also boasts a wealth of experience across previous hit Citizens Theatre productions, including set designer Tom Piper (Nora: A Dolls House; Cyrano; Hamlet), costume designer Jessica Worral (Red Riding Hood; The Comedy of Errors), and movement director Emma Jane Boyle (Nora: A Dolls House; Trainspotting; This Restless House). The team will also include internationally-renowned, award-winning lighting designer Bruno Poet, whose recent projects have included Macbeth at Donmar Warehouse, A Midsummer Nights Dream at The Bridge Theatre, and the stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches at the National Theatre.
The production is set to open the first season of on-stage work at the Citizens Theatre following the highly anticipated completion of redevelopment works on the building. The company originally moved out of its historic Gorbals home in June 2018, as work began on the first major redevelopment of the Category B listed building since it began life as a working theatre in 1878.
After years of making work across Glasgow, the Citizens Theatre returns home. This autumn, a multi-day Homecoming festival will welcome audiences back celebrating the Citz’s past, present and future. The celebrations culminate in Small Acts of Love—the first full production on the theatre’s main stage.
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