Citizens Theatre in Glasgow announces 2026 season shows

The Citizens Theatre has announced the next wave of productions for its reopening year, marking its first full season back in its Gorbals home since 2018.

Running from January to June 2026, the programme includes new stagings of classic plays, contemporary works and touring shows.

Matthew Kelly and George Costigan will lead a new production of Waiting for Godot, directed by Citizens Theatre artistic director Dominic Hill. A co-production with Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and Octagon Theatre Bolton, the play runs from 20 February to 14 March. Kelly makes his debut at the Citizens, while Costigan returns following appearances in Crime and Punishment, This Restless House and Long Day’s Journey Into Night.

From 2 to 16 May, the main stage will host Sweat by Lynn Nottage. Co-produced with the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, the play examines the lives of factory workers in the American Rust Belt and is based on interviews conducted by the playwright in Pennsylvania. This will be its first Scottish production.

Denise Mina’s true-crime novel The Long Drop is adapted for the stage by Linda McLean and directed by Dominic Hill. Set in 1950s Glasgow and based on the case of serial killer Peter Manuel, the production runs from 5 to 20 June.

The theatre’s new Studio space will stage a stripped-back version of George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan from 13 to 28 February. Directed by Stewart Laing, the production includes new material by Adura Onashile and is co-produced with Raw Material, Perth Theatre and Aberdeen Performing Arts.

The season also includes visiting work. Showstopper! The Improvised Musical runs from 5 to 7 February, while There’s a Monster in Your Show, based on the children’s book series by Tom Fletcher, plays from 14 to 15 April. Wonder Fools bring Òran to the Studio Theatre from 29 October to 1 November. A retelling of the myth of Orpheus, the piece features hip-hop artist Owen Sutcliffe and music by VanIves. From 6 to 15 November, Vox Motus’ Flight returns to Glasgow. Adapted from Hinterland by Caroline Brothers, it tells the story of two orphaned brothers on a journey across Europe using miniature sets and a rotating model world.