The Slab Boys

Citizens Theatre Presents
THE SLAB BOYS
By John Byrne
Thurs 12 Feb – Sat 7 March, Citizens Theatre
Tues 10 – Sat 14 March, King’s Theatre Edinburgh
CITIZENS THEATRE PRESS NIGHT Sat 14 Feb, 7.30pm

Two legends of Scottish theatre, John Byrne and David Hayman, reunite to bring one of Scottish theatre’s best loved works to the Citizens Theatre’s main stage.

Citizens Theatre begins celebrations of its 70th anniversary year with a landmark production of The Slab Boys. Original creators, John Byrne and David Hayman, join forces to revive one of Scottish theatre’s most iconic plays. This will be the first time that Byrne and Hayman have worked together since the work debuted on the Scottish stage in 1978. In this new production of The Slab Boys a cast of young Scottish acting talent reclaim the story for a new generation. The Slab Boys runs from 12 February – 7 March and then transfers to King’s Theatre, Edinburgh from 10 – 14 March.

Byrne’s seminal work paints a vivid and unflinching depiction of the tough, rebellious, working class culture of 1950s Scotland. The Slab Boys influenced a generation of writers earning a place in the list of one of the 12 key plays of the last 40 years as chosen by the National Library of Scotland. The sharp, witty exchanges of Byrne’s charismatic Phil and Spanky, two restless adolescents confined by the walls of a Paisley carpet factory fully articulate the frustration of a generation battling against a staid establishment.

Following a major retrospective of Byrne’s work at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery last year, he will join the creative team as designer. David Hayman will return to his original role as director, and joins the cast as Mr Currie, the gaffer. Hayman has a long association with the Citizens Theatre, appearing as a regular member of the company during the 1970s and recently returning to the Citizens’ stage as King Lear in 2012.

Strutting double act Phil and Spanky will be played by Sammy Hayman and Jamie Quinn respectively. Hayman, who is David Hayman’s son, recently graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and makes his debut on the Citizens’ stage. Quinn is best known for his current role as Mac in BBC’s Bluestone 42 and previous roles in BBC/Comedy Unit’s Still Game. Quinn also appeared in the National Theatre of Scotland’s 2011 tour of Blackwatch alongside Scott Fletcher who plays the role of long suffering Hector in The Slab Boys. Fletcher can currently be seen on screen playing Angus Lindsay in BBC Scotland’s River City. Another star of River City, Keira Lucchesi will be playing the unattainable Lucille. Kathryn Howden returns to the Citizens’ stage following recent appearances in Far Away & Seagulls, Sleeping Beauty and Footfalls. The cast is completed by James Allenby-Kirk and Kieran Baker.


Director David Hayman commented, “I’m utterly thrilled to be coming back to the Citz as a director and performer – the place where I spent the first and happy creative years of my career – and it is a privilege to be working again with the great John Byrne who is designing the show. It is especially exciting to be revisiting The Slab Boys which is one of the most important and iconic pieces of theatre to come out of Scotland in the last 30 years. It is a celebration of working class life, a wonderful story of high hopes and lost dreams.”


Tickets for Citizens Theatre performances available from: 0141 429 0022 / citz.co.uk and
for King’s Theatre Edinburgh performances from: 0131 529 6000 / edtheatres.com

-ENDS-

For more information, interviews and images, or to request tickets, please contact Claire Lowney, Marketing Assistant claire@citz.co.uk 0141 418 6232. Production images will be available to download from the Citizens Theatre flickr feed flickr.com/citizenstheatre


LISTINGS

Citizens Theatre presents
THE SLAB BOYS
By John Byrne
Directed by David Hayman
Designed by John Byrne
Lighting by Jeanine Byrne
Assistant Director David Hayman Jnr

Cast: James Allenby-Kirk, Kieran Baker, Scott Fletcher, David Hayman, Sammy Hayman, Kathryn Howden, Keira Lucchesi, Jamie Quinn

Citizens Theatre, 119 Gorbals Street, Glasgow, G5 9DS
Thurs 12 Feb – Sat 7 March 2015, 7.30pm (no performances Mondays and Sundays)
Previews: Thurs 12 Feb & Fri 13 Feb
Matinees: Thurs 19 Feb & Thurs 5 Mar 1.30pm, Wed 25 Feb 10.30am, Sat 7 & Sat 5 Mar 2.30pm
Audio Described performance: Wed 25 Feb, 7.30pm
BSL interpreted performance: Fri 27 Feb, 7.30pm
Captioned performance: Sat 7 Mar, 2.30pm
Post show talk: Tue 3 Mar with cast and director David Hayman

Tickets: 50p - £20.50
Previews £8.50 │Tuesdays £12.50

50p Tickets | 10 tickets, 10 performances on sale at 10am Saturday 7 March
NB – 50p Tickets must be bought in person at the theatre, cash only.

Events
John Byrne and David Hayman in Conversation
Thurs 19 Feb 5.45pm – 6.30pm, £6 (£4 concession)
A pre-show curtain raiser with writer and designer John Byrne and director and cast member David Hayman discussing the journey of The Slab Boys from creation to the new Citizens’ production.

Lunch with The Slab Boys
Sat 7 Mar, 12.15pm (followed by 2.30pm show), £10 + ticket to the show
Director David Hayman explores this iconic Scottish text from its creation to the new Citizens’ production.

King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, 2 Leven Street, Edinburgh EH3 9LQ
Tues 10 - Sat 14 March 2015, 7.30pm
Matinees: Wed 11 & Sat 14 Mar, 2.30pm
Audio Described performance: Sat 14 Mar, 2.30pm
Captioned performance: Thu 12 Mar, 7.30pm
Tickets: Premium seats from £25*
General tickets from £19 - £16.50*
*Concessions available

NOTES TO EDITORS

Citizens Theatre 70th Anniversary

Founded by James Bridie in 1943, the Citizens Company moved to the Royal Princesses Theatre on Gorbals Street in 1945, changing its name to the Citizens Theatre and becoming one of the country’s flagship producing theatres over its 70-year history. Plans for a major re-development of the building, the most comprehensive since it was opened in 1878, were announced in February 2013. Building work to create new front of house, rehearsal, learning and office spaces is planned to commence in Autumn 2016.

Return to Press