One year on from its long-awaited, multi-million-pound resurrection, the Citizens Theatre faces the inevitable question of follow-through. The wonderfully refurbished building has definite kerb appeal, but it does not sell tickets indefinitely. For its Autumn 2026 season, the Gorbals institution has wisely eschewed a comfortable victory lap in favour of an unsentimental slate of ambitious programming.
“Marking a year since we reopened our doors, the Autumn Season feels both like a celebration and a clear statement of intent for the Citizens Theatre,” notes Artistic Director Dominic Hill.
That intent is apparent on the main stage, which is anchored by a new adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984. Co-produced with Dundee Rep and the Royal Lyceum, Chris Hannan’s script—directed by Hill himself—promises an unsparing look at truth and power, themes hardly lacking in contemporary relevance.
“Marking a year since we reopened our doors, the Autumn Season feels both like a celebration and a clear statement of intent for the Citizens Theatre,” notes Artistic Director Dominic Hill.
It is joined by the return of Emma Rice’s Tristan and Yseult. Two decades since its premiere, it remains a fiercely inventive piece of physical theatre; its brief run in Glasgow is a welcome revival of a genuine modern classic. Elsewhere, Gayle Rankin takes the title role in the National Theatre of Scotland’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Adapted by David Harrower and directed by Vicky Featherstone, the production aims for a visceral examination of Muriel Spark’s dangerously charismatic schoolmistress.
Adding warmth to the heavier dramatic fare is a 30th-anniversary staging of Ayub Khan Din’s Salford comedy East is East, directed by former Citz local Kash Arshad, while Anthony Almeida’s newly forged take on Othello continues the venue’s tradition of stripping the varnish off Shakespearean tragedy.
Autumn 2026: Season Highlights
- 1984 (29 Aug – 26 Sep): George Orwell’s stark warning gets a new adaptation by Chris Hannan, directed by Dominic Hill.
- Tristan & Yseult (30 Sep – 3 Oct): Emma Rice’s celebrated modern classic returns for a strictly limited run.
- East is East (7 Oct – 17 Oct): A 30th-anniversary staging of Ayub Khan Din’s Salford-set comedy, directed by Kash Arshad.
- The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (21 Oct – 24 Oct): Gayle Rankin leads this NTS and Lyceum co-production.
- Othello (27 Oct – 4 Nov): A boldly contemporary re-examination of Shakespeare’s tragedy directed by Anthony Almeida.
- Cinderella (28 Nov – 31 Dec): The 21st-century festive revamp, written by Stuart Paterson and directed by Joanna Bowman.
The Studio as an Engine Room
Hill’s programming ambition deliberately extends beyond the main auditorium. “We’ve brought together work that speaks to the world as it is now – complex and questioning,” he adds, emphasising a desire to create “space for stories that spark conversation, challenge perspectives and bring people together.”
That ethos will be audible in the 150-seat Studio Theatre. These Are Our Neighbours, produced by Company of Wolves and Bijli, revisits the 2021 Kenmure Street immigration raid. Fusing documentary theatre with movement, it anchors the Citizens firmly within the political realities of modern Glasgow.
Hill’s programming ambition deliberately extends beyond the main auditorium. “We’ve brought together work that speaks to the world as it is now – complex and questioning…”
Alongside it sits The Singer, a gig-theatre production featuring music by KT Tunstall (with whom I briefly shared space in the school choir) and a book by Cora Bissett, proving the smaller space is operating as a serious engine room for new Scottish work rather than an afterthought. Also notable is the National Theatre of Scotland’s Caring Scotland Project, an interactive audio-guided installation and photography exhibition exploring the testimonies of care-experienced individuals.
Festive Output with Teeth
The year concludes with Stuart Paterson’s adaptation of Cinderella. Promisingly indeed, Joanna Bowman will be taking up the directorial reins.
Given her excellent, tightly coiled work on Doubt: A Parable in Dundee, and her co-direction of last year’s utterly splendid Beauty and the Beast at the Citz, Bowman is well-equipped to deliver a family show with real narrative bite. We can reasonably expect an alternative to the pantosphere which enfolds most stages when Christmas beckons.
Featured Image: Citizens Theatre September 2025 – Photo by Mark Liddell
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