Glasgow invited to celebrate as Citizens Theatre reopens with Homecoming Festival

A community procession in the Gorbals on Saturday 23rd August will officially reopen the Citizens Theatre, launching a season of Homecoming celebrations!

Article Source: Citizens Theatre
Last Updated: 23 July 2025 11:03

Image Credit: Citizens Theatre Auditorium - Mike Hume

After a transformative seven-year redevelopment of its Gorbals home, the Citizens Theatre today marks one month until it reopens to the public on Saturday 23 August 2025, launching a city-wide invitation to experience the new building and everything it now offers.

Catrin Evans, Participate Director, Citizens Theatre, said: “The Homecoming Festival is inspired by our fantastic new building which we know so many people are keen to get inside - but it's also about so much more. It’s about reconnecting with our neighbours, welcoming new voices, and celebrating creativity itself as a form of home-making. We’re offering a range of activities so that everyone and anyone can step into the Citizens Theatre, try something new, take themselves on a journey and feel that this space belongs to them. Whether it’s your first time through the doors or you’ve been part of the Citz story for years, we can’t wait to welcome you.”

Kicking off the celebrations, Gorbals residents are invited to join a vibrant community procession, departing from The Barn at 12.30pm. Together, they’ll make their way to Gorbals Street, crossing the threshold of the Citizens Theatre to reawaken the building and usher in a bold new chapter.

Leading the procession are two specially crafted puppets – Comedy and Tragedy – inspired by two of the Greek goddess statues on top of our building, Melpomene (Tragedy) and Thalia (Comedy). These colourful, larger-than-life characters haven’t had anywhere to play while the Citizens Theatre was closed – but now, they’re finally making their way home. As they travel through some of the new housing that has emerged whilst they've been gone, they'll be joined by community performances and interactive moments, inviting everyone to take part in the story. The procession ends at the new Citizens Theatre, where alongside poetry and song, a co-created living heritage banner will be unveiled – a beautiful artwork made with neighbours and the wider community, celebrating the many voices, cultures, and stories that shape the theatre’s home.

Doors to the Citizens Theatre will then remain open for a full Open House weekend of free celebratory activities, giving the public their first chance in over seven years to step back inside this much-loved building. Everyone is invited to come in, explore, take part and enjoy the space - whether eager to get hands-on with creative workshops, excited to get a moment on the main stage, or simply want to soak up the atmosphere of this iconic venue.

Following the Open House weekend, celebrations continue. Between 28 August and 5 September, bookable activity includes First Look building tours, taster workshops and special events designed to welcome even more people into the newly reopened Citizens Theatre.

More information about all workshops and tours is available from citz.co.uk

Homecoming then moves onto the stage, as live performance makes its long-awaited return to the Citizens Theatre - launching a landmark year of bold storytelling and unmissable theatre. Opening the main stage on 12 September is Small Acts of Love, a powerful new play by Frances Poet, with songs and lyrics by Deacon Blue’s Ricky Ross. Inspired by true events, it tells the moving story of the extraordinary friendships forged between Lockerbie residents and American families in the wake of the Pan Am 103 atrocity. Featuring a large ensemble cast of 14 and a live roots band, this is theatre with heart, humanity and a powerful sense of place.

Then in October, the new 150-seat Studio Theatre is opened with two productions devised and presented by the theatre’s Participate groups – Close by the Young Co, which opens on 08 October, and Making Your Mark by the Citz Community Collective, which opens on 22 October.

The Citizens Theatre’s redevelopment and Homecoming celebrations have been made possible thanks to the generous support of key funders — including the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Creative Scotland, and Historic Environment Scotland — alongside a wide range of trusts, foundations and individual supporters as well as the many local organisations whose collaboration and support has been instrumental.

Kate Denby, Executive Director, Citizens Theatre, said: “The reopening of the Citizens Theatre marks a hugely significant moment – not just for the building, but for everyone who holds this theatre close to their heart. Our Homecoming year is a celebration of creativity, community, and connection. It’s been made possible by the extraordinary efforts of so many people, and we’re proud to be opening our doors with a programme that invites everyone to be part of our next chapter. The Citz has always been a theatre for the people of Glasgow – and now, more than ever, we want everyone to feel welcome here.”

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “The Citizens Theatre is held in great affection in Glasgow and far beyond. Over history it has nurtured and launched inspiring talent from its home in the Gorbals onto a worldwide stage. Generations of Glaswegians have been part of the Citz story so it’s only right that community involvement continues to take centre stage of their reopening and future plans. It’s important to us that projects we fund, support inclusion, access and participation in heritage so I’m excited to see the doors to this jewel, which has been transformed thanks to support from the National Lottery, thrown open to welcome everyone back in, reaffirming people’s pride in the Citizens Theatre and in their community.”

For more information about all Homecoming activity and ways to get involved, visit citz.co.uk

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