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New productions for our reopening year
As we count down to our doors reopening this August, we can share more news about our reopening year of shows back in our beautifully redeveloped Gorbals home. Today we’re sharing our January to June 2026 programme.
These shows mark a bold new chapter, with stories that challenge, captivate and entertain. It’s a season packed with powerhouse performances, fresh collaborations, and unforgettable nights at the theatre.
As we celebrate our reopening year, the Citizens Theatre is launching into 2026 with a season full of energy, imagination and purpose. It’s a bold mix of classic and contemporary work – from powerful new writing and gripping Glasgow stories to landmark plays that continue to resonate today. This is theatre that asks questions, sparks conversation, and speaks to the world we live in now. It’s everything the Citz stands for – theatre that’s alive, accessible and unafraid.
Dominic Hill, Artistic Director
Kicking off the year in style, Artistic Director Dominic Hill brings a powerful new production of Waiting for Godot to the Citz stage. Co-produced with Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and Octagon Theatre Bolton, and starring the legendary duo Matthew Kelly and George Costigan, this bold new take on Beckett’s masterpiece will run from 20 Feb – 14 Mar. Hilarious, haunting and painfully human, it reminds us why some plays never stop speaking to us.
Following 02 May – 16 May, we bring you Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Sweat, in a co-production with the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh. Set in a working-class town at the turn of the 21st century, it’s a taut, deeply affecting story about fractured friendships, economic despair, and the enduring strength of community. Raw, real and utterly gripping.
Then, from 05 – 20 Jun, we’re proud to premiere The Long Drop – a thrilling new stage adaptation of Denise Mina’s bestselling true-crime novel, adapted by Linda McLean. Based on the chilling real-life case of serial killer Peter Manuel, it’s a gripping courtroom drama set in the gritty, shadowy Glasgow underworld of the 1950s. Commissioned during our building’s closure, it’s a story made for the Citz stage.
And it’s not just the main stage that’s buzzing in 2026. Over in the Studio Theatre, Saint Joan will lead the season with a daring new version of George Bernard Shaw’s history play, reimagined by director Stewart Laing with a new film sequence by Adura Onashile. Joan’s story of rebellion, resistance and radical change couldn’t be timelier — and in a world still grappling with war, unrest and shifting power, this young woman’s fight for justice speaks louder than ever. A co-production with Raw Material, Perth Theatre and Aberdeen Performing Arts, Saint Joan runs from 13–28 February.
We’re also welcoming some brilliant visiting companies. The hilarious Showstopper! The Improvised Musical will be making up musicals on the spot from audience suggestions (05–07 Feb), while There’s a Monster in Your Show (14–15 Apr) brings Tom Fletcher’s much-loved children’s books to life in an energetic, interactive show for little ones and their grown-ups.
As an extra treat, we’re also delighted to announce more Studio Theatre shows in 2025!
This autumn, we’re thrilled to welcome Wonder Fools with their award-winning production Òran from 29 Oct – 1 Nov. A Fringe First-winner in 2024, Òran is a powerful and poetic retelling of the myth of Orpheus. Blending lyrical storytelling, original music and contemporary Scottish voices, it follows a young man’s journey through love, loss and the underworld, set against a backdrop of grief, masculinity and resilience. Created in collaboration with hip-hop artist Owen Sutcliffe and featuring a stunning score by VanIves, Òran is a thrilling piece of theatre that speaks to a new generation.
And the extraordinary Flight by Vox Motus lands from 06–15 Nov, inviting audiences into an immersive world of handcrafted miniatures, telling the moving story of two orphaned brothers making their way across Europe.
With powerful new productions, iconic stories reimagined, and bold voices centre stage, 2025/2026 is set to be a landmark reopening year for the Citizens Theatre. We can’t wait to share it with you.