EAST IS EAST, OTHELLO, More Set For Citizens Theatre's Autumn Season
The Glasgow venue will also host Emma Rice Company's remount of TRISTAN & YSEULT
The Citizens Theatre has announced a new season of shows set to take over the Main Theatre and Studio Theatre from August to December 2026. An exciting mix of in-house productions, co-productions and creative collaborations, the programme features a vibrant mix of reimagined classics and outstanding contemporary writing.
Joining the already announced new adaptation of George Orwell's masterpiece 1984 are new main stage co-productions of East is East and Othello alongside visiting work from Emma Rice Company remounting Tristan and Yseult, and the National Theatre of Scotland's new take on The Prime of Miss Brodie. Rounding out the year is a new festive production of Cinderella.
The start of the Autumn Season will mark one year since the theatre's landmark reopening in August 2025 following a major redevelopment. The Gorbals playhouse has already welcomed over 70,000 visitors in its first eight months of operation. It has also taken its work on the road across the UK, with Dominic Hill's five-star production of Waiting for Godot currently entertaining audiences at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton, following a transfer to Liverpool Everyman after its Glasgow premiere.
Dominic Hill, Artistic Director, Citizens Theatre comments, “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. We've brought together work that speaks to the world as it is now - complex and questioning - alongside stories audiences may know and love, reimagined in fresh and surprising ways.
"It's been joyous to welcome audiences back and rediscover that shared experience of live theatre in our much-loved main auditorium as well as our exciting new studio theatre. This season builds on that momentum - opening our stages to a wide range of voices, championing artists, and creating space for stories that spark conversation, challenge perspectives and bring people together.”
1984
Headlining the Autumn Season ahead of a major Scottish tour is 1984 (29 August – 26 September), a co-production between Citizens Theatre, Dundee Rep Theatre and The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh. Directed by Dominic Hill, Artistic Director of the Citizens Theatre, and adapted by one of Scotland's most acclaimed writers, Chris Hannan, this Orwell classic has surged back up international bestseller lists, as readers return to its stark warning about truth, power and control in today's unsettling world politics. The show will tour to Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh.
Tristan and Yseult
Over 20 years since its premiere, Emma Rice's Tristan and Yseult returns to the Citz' stage for a limited run (30 Sept – 3 October) following its critically acclaimed visit in 2017. A modern classic which took the theatre world by storm, Tristan and Yseult is visceral, playful, and heartbreakingly beautiful – an internationally celebrated production blending myth, music, movement, and storytelling into an unforgettable theatrical night out.
East is East
A 30th anniversary production of Ayub Khan Din's play East is East (7-17 October) - that was also made into a BAFTA Award-winning film - is directed by Kash Arshad in a co-production with Octagon Theatre, Bolton and Wiltshire Creative in association with Derby Theatre. The Citz was Kash's local theatre as a student and starting out in his career - and where he first set foot on a professional stage. He now returns to direct a main stage production. This new staging of the play tells the story of a mixed-race British Pakistani family in 1970s Salford, charting their trials and tribulations with warmth, humour and heart. A joyful, richly human portrait of family life, it promises to resonate strongly with Glasgow audiences.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
A National Theatre of Scotland production presented in partnership with The Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh and in association with Pitlochry Festival Theatre, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (21-24 October) is adapted by David Harrower from Muriel Spark's famous novel and directed by Vicky Featherstone. The cast is led by Gayle Rankin (The House of Dragon, Glow). Witty, seductive and swirling in contradictions, Jean Brodie remains one of the most enthralling characters in modern literature and this visceral production looks head on at our enduring moral fascination with such a captivating and dangerous individual.
Othello
A Citizens Theatre, Northern Stage and HOME Manchester co-production, in association with Royal & Derngate, Othello (28 October – 4 November) is directed by Anthony Almeida. This bold staging of Othello continues the Citizens Theatre's commitment to presenting large ensemble, classic works with a fresh, contemporary edge. Re-examining a story where love and hate are inseparably entwined, fear, passion and paranoia simmer beneath the surface of a newly forged marriage.
Cinderella
The Citizens Theatre brings its unique blend of festive cheer this winter with Cinderella (28 November – 31 December). An all-ages family Christmas Show written by Stuart Paterson, Cinderella is joyfully reimagined for the 21st century. Cinders is bold, big-hearted and fiercely independent, determined to write her own story. It will be directed by one of Scotland's most exciting theatre-makers, Joanna Bowman who is also Associate Artist at the Citz. This enchanting new staging promises to bring fresh sparkle and imagination to the classic story. A perfect festive treat for audiences of all ages.
In the Studio Theatre, a line-up of shows and events will showcase new voices and talent from across Scotland.
The Caring Scotland Project
The Caring Scotland Project (2-12 September), presented by the National Theatre of Scotland in partnership with Who Cares? Scotland and the National Library of Scotland will feature two of its three strands at the Citz. One Hundred Voices is an interactive audio-guided installation giving a creative insight into living in the care system and is an artistic act of recognition and celebration of the one hundred testimonies the project has recorded. Ten Portraits is a photography exhibition exploring the stories of ten care-experienced individuals, captured by the dramatic and atmospheric portraiture of photographer Chris Scott, a Scottish photographer with a care-experienced background.
The Singer
A Dundee Rep Theatre and Solar Bear production in collaboration with Aberdeen Performing Arts, The Singer (15-19 September) is a new exciting gig theatre performance with music and lyrics by Scotland's-own, Grammy Award-nominated KT Tunstall and book by Cora Bissett. Performed in both spoken English and British Sign Language, The Singer follows Joe, a deaf artist who “sings” with his hands, and Andy, a washed-up musician hungry for a comeback. When their unlikely creative partnership sparks something extraordinary, ambition and belonging collide.
We Will Hear the Angels
Magnetic North's We Will Hear the Angels (2-3 October) by Nicholas Bone explores the strange state of melancholy through words, movement and music. Performed by an ensemble of five actor-musicians, it features music by Hank Williams, Orange Juice, Etta James, Moondog and J.S.Bach among others.
These Are Our Neighbours
Company of Wolves and Bijli, one of the Citizens Theatre's Associate Companies, team up to present These Are Our Neighbours (14-17 October). Fusing documentary theatre with celebratory dance, These Are Our Neighbours revisits the 2021 Kenmure Street raid, when an entire community came together in an eight-hour act of resistance to protect two people from deportation. Written by Katharine Williams (Miracle on Deanston Drive) and developed with the Pollokshields community, it blends testimony, movement and music to explore everyday solidarity, courage and humanity.
Revel
A Company Chordelia production in association with the Byre Theatre and Luminate present Revel (23 October), a 60+ coming of age story. Moving between the real relationship in the dressing room as they get ready, performers Kally Lloyd-Jones and Steinvör Palsson perpetually navigate the memories and shifting realities of their bodies and minds with wry humour as they get ready to step out on stage once more.
Do Not Pass Go
Award-winning theatre company Jordan & Skinner bring their original and irreverent style of physical theatre and comedy to Do Not Pass Go (5-7 November), an epic story of Lizzie Magie, a feminist, economist, disruptor, and games designer who wanted to show the world there was an alternative to capitalist greed - but her beautiful brainchild was stolen, repurposed, and made a man a millionaire.
Get Broadway News on WhatsApp
Receive the latest updates, breaking news, and exclusive coverage from Broadway directly in WhatsApp.
Videos