Citizens Theatre gets further £8m from Holyrood to complete delayed renovation

The Scottish government has stepped in to plug an £8m funding shortfall at Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre.

The council-owned theatre in the Gorbals area of the city has been closed for redevelopment since 2018 and had been expected to reopen in November.

However, a June report by Glasgow City Council revealed that extra funds were needed to meet the rising costs of the extensive building work.

Members of the Scottish Parliament warned at the time that the funding gap could put the theatre in “imminent danger of liquidation.”

The council pledged a further £2m in the summer, conditional on securing other funding.

Kate Denby, the theatre’s executive director, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Scottish government for contributing an additional £8m of funding towards the completion of the Citizens Theatre redevelopment in 2025/26.

“With main building works set to be complete by the end of the year, we look forward to welcoming audiences, artists and communities from across Scotland through our doors once again in 2025.”

Spiralling costs

The cost of the redevelopment was estimated to be £20m when work began in 2019.

The theatre’s current estimate, due to the impact of the pandemic, inflation and issues faced during building work, is around £40m.

Scottish government has now invested £14m in the theatre’s redevelopment, and around £37m has so far been secured by the theatre from a range of funders.

The theatre, which opened in 1878, will be redeveloped to preserve its original Victorian auditorium, improve backstage facilities, and create additional rehearsal, participation, and studio spaces.

It is now projected to reopen to the public in August 2025.

Denby added: “The support and commitment of our funders will ensure we reopen a transformed historic building at the heart of the Gorbals community that will deliver inspiring creative experiences for generations to come.”