Graham, an electrician to trade and graduate of film, television and theatre studies at the University of Glasgow, is now technical director of the famous Gorbals venue, which is preparing to re-open following a multi-million pound refurbishment.
The cultural hotspot has been closed since 2018, but The Herald was given a behind-the-scenes tour of the building on Wednesday (March 5) ahead of its return in the summer.
The cramped, dark foyer, with its temperamental revolving door, has been replaced with an open, bright space, to which a box office and bar are still to be added. A ruby red staircase dominates, and the smell of new wood and fresh paint fills the air.
A new studio theatre, with flexible seating, will give the Citizens and visiting companies the chance to perform in the round for the first time in Glasgow in recent history.
“It’s a great space – a replacement, almost, for The Arches, which has really been missed since it closed down,” explains Graham.
“For young companies, trying to do new productions and build audiences, it will be a fantastic facility.”
In the auditorium, which has increased in size from 451 seats to 654, everything “has been taken apart, modernised, and put back together again” explains Graham.
“We almost hope that, actually, no-one notices,” he says, simply. “There is a lot of love for this space, it has done well for us. We wanted to make sure we didn’t break it.”
It is reassuringly familiar and beautiful. The lightbulbs are more energy efficient, the paint is fresher, the seats are cleaner – but otherwise, it is still the Citz.
Backstage, amid the final phase of works, things are taking shape.
The sloping, pitched roof has been replaced, so no longer will water drip on to the actors performing below. The notoriously steep gradient of the stage has been reduced: the orchestra pit has been extended; and the historic under-stage machinery and working paint frame – one of the last of its kind in the UK – will now be on display.
Elsewhere, cheerful open-plan offices flow into light and airy learning and community spaces and rehearsal rooms, and a heritage and exhibition hall will tell the story of the theatre, the Citizens Company – which celebrates its 80th anniversary in September – and the local area.
Threading through all of the works, says Graham, have been the structural challenges of balancing the old with the new, staying true to the Victorian theatre’s heritage while making it functional.
“Dry rot, woodworm, asbestos…it has been a nightmare,” he admits. “The fire curtain was made of asbestos, so that had to be dealt with, and when we removed it, there was more asbestos behind it…” He sighs. “It has been a bit of a journey.”
In the foyer, during after-tour mingling, the theatre’s new executive director Kate Denby says she is thrilled to be part of the team taking the Citizens into its next act.
“Today has been special – actually quite emotional,” she says, smiling.
“We’re not just getting ready for a new season, we’re preparing for the future of the Citizens, protecting an asset which means a great deal to the people of Glasgow.
“We’re just custodians of this place, really, at this time in its history.”
She pauses. “And if we hadn’t done this? I’m not sure how it would have survived.”
The Citizens Theatre company originally moved out of its historic home on Gorbals Street in June 2018, as the first major redevelopment of the Category B listed building since it began life as a working theatre in 1878 got underway.
Designed by Bennetts Associates, the building’s cost was originally estimated at around £20m, but the pandemic, Brexit, inflation and issues with the works meant costs rocketed to almost £40m.
Fears that the Citizens may not re-open were allayed when the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council allocated extra funding.
The first production will be Small Acts of Love, a musical about the aftermath of the devastating Lockerbie air disaster, written by Glasgow playwright Frances Poet and Deacon Blue frontman Ricky Ross.
Further main-stage productions in the autumn will include Douglas Maxwell’s brilliant Glasgow-set comedy So Young, exploring mid-life meltdowns, grief and love, and an ambitious new production of the seminal Tennessee Williams drama The Glass Menagerie, presented by Dundee Rep Theatre in association with the Citizens Theatre.
The much-loved Citz Christmas show returns for 2025 with a new, specially commissioned festive production of Beauty and the Beast by Lewis Hetherington, and the new Studio Theatre will host The Gift, the awardwinning show by Barrowland Ballet. (Tickets for the first stage productions will go on sale at the end of March.)
Before all that happens, however, a homecoming festival in late summer will see the theatre “burst into life”, says artistic director Dominic Hill, with readings, exhibitions, tours and workshops celebrating the venue’s past, present and future. Gorbals residents will be among the first people through the door, and a new Gorbals Pass will give locals with a G5 postcode access to £5 tickets.
“This is a very special moment as we start to unveil an exciting programme of shows and opportunities in the new theatre for the first time in seven years,” says Dominic.
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“While the Citz has always celebrated the great works of drama from the past, the new theatre must look forward too and we’ve been working hard to develop new plays that showcase the talent of writers and artists working in Scotland.
“These new works embody the spirit of what this theatre has always stood for – creativity, community and a deep connection to the city of Glasgow.”
Dominic added that the festival was about the “hope and ambition that the Citizens will pour light into what are very dark times.”
“We want it to be a place of light,” he explains, “a place of welcoming and joy and community, for our neighbours, audiences and artists, from Glasgow and across the country.”
On the stage, with the occasional sounds of on-going works filtering through from spaces above and below, Graham Sutherland takes a moment to look out at the red and gold auditorium.
“There is nowhere quite like the Citizens, in terms of its capacity to stage work that feels epic, but with such intimacy with the audience that you can almost see the whites of their eyes,” he says.
“That is very rare.”
He adds: “There have been lot of challenges, but it’s really exciting, finally, to be at this stage.”
