Latest news with #Citz
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Sorry Rupe, the ‘witch' Sturgeon and SNP did not ruin Scottish arts
Speaking to The Herald ahead of his appearance at the Boswell Book Festival where he was promoting his new(-ish) book of short stories, Everett zeroed in on his time in Glasgow in the late 1980s and in particular a spell at the Citizens Theatre, where the quality of the work bowled him over, the drive of the people running the place and the intellectual expansiveness of what was staged there. My words, by the way, not his. What he said is this: 'It was a European theatre in the same vein as Peter Stein, Pina Bausch. It was a national European theatre. And unlike those theatres, it never ran at a loss. It presented an uncompromising array of work to people that it never patronised… It's how I imagine the relationship with the audience must have been in the Restoration, in a way. It was a collaborative thing between the audience. A very vocal audience. It was literally like going into Aladdin's cave, going into the Citizens.' Then along came 'the witch' – this is a quarter of a century after he graced the Dear Green Place, remember – and suddenly 'everything changed in Scottish arts… everything had to be about being Scottish.' Read more: 'Misogynistic and abhorrent': Forbes hits out at Everett over Sturgeon 'witch' slur Now I used to go to the Citz as a schoolboy in the period Everett was acting there, and maybe even saw him in a production or two. And yes, he's right that the theatre presented innovative works by playwrights from across Europe and beyond, and from across the centuries too. That said, there was always a strong Scottish focus. There had to be. Glance at the list of the productions at the Citz at the time and you can see it in black and white. James Bridie's Glasgow-set Dr Angelus opened there on June 10, 1988. A year later it staged Douglas, John Home's blank verse tragedy from 1756, which is set in the Grampian Mountains and inspired by the folk ballad Child Maurice, later popularized by Ewan McColl. I could go on. Track backwards and forwards from those points and, if you know anything about Scottish theatre and how it fits into and converses with issues in Scottish culture and society, you'll know that the productions which have best defined it over the last 50 or so years are works which are, well, Scottish. Such as The Cheviot, The Stag And The Black, Black Oil, first staged by the mighty Scottish company 7:84 in 1973. Productions such as The Cheviot, The Stag And The Black, Black Oil have best defined Scottish theatre over the last half-century (Image: National Theatre of Scotland) Here's three more: David Greig's Caledonia Dreaming from 1999, Stephen Greenhorn's 1997 play Passing Places, and Harry Gibson's seismic 1995 adaptation of Trainspotting. Or how about Gregory Burke's electrifying, quadruple Olivier Award-winning Black Watch, commissioned by the fledgling National Theatre of Scotland in 2006 and premiered at that year's Edinburgh Festival? Correct me if I'm wrong, but not one of those productions was staged when the SNP was in power at Holyrood. So is Rupert Everett right – or is he, as I'm sure some readers are currently now thinking, talking nonsense? Afraid I'm in the second camp, Rupe. PS: You were great in Inspector Gadget. Read more: My wild days of sex and drugs and being mates with Madonna are over It's only rock'n'roll, officer The Herald's Russell Leadbetter writes as authoritatively as ever about rock music in his appreciation of the Sex Pistols, looking in particular at the furore they caused up and down the country in the mid-1970s. It all seems a little tame and old fashioned now. Nostalgic, almost. What was all the fuss about? Given current events, however, one story stands out in Russell's piece: the cancelling by Glasgow City Council's licensing committee of a gig the band was due to play at the storied Apollo. Fast forward half a century and suddenly it doesn't seem so old-fashioned. Witness the current war of words between Oasis and City of Edinburgh Council, which has allegedly described Oasis fans as 'drunk', 'lairy', 'fat' and 'old' in privately-circulated briefing documents which were leaked to the press. Read more Barry Didcock: The band's frontman Liam Gallagher was quick to take to social media to offer his tuppence-worth. 'To the Edinburgh council I've heard what you said about Oasis fans and quite frankly your attitude f****** stinks,' he wrote. 'I'd leave town that day if I was any of you lot.' Not quite Lydon-esque but not far from it, and doubtless delivered with an appropriate sneer. And of course we've also had the Kneecap debacle. They were pulled from next month's TRNSMT line-up but have at least have been able to re-schedule a gig in Glasgow. So, the Pistols in the 1970s, Oasis and Kneecap today. Bad boy bands still giving the authorities a headache. Plus ça change, as they probably don't say in Manchester or Belfast. And finally The Herald's theatre critic Neil Cooper is sharpening his pencils before the start of the Edinburgh Festival but headed for Glasgow this week to take in the latest show in Òran Mór's A Play, A Pie And A Pint season – this was JD Stewart's hymn to a group of Scottish Beyoncé fans – as well as to the Theatre Royal where he watched Picture You Dead, a touring production of Peter James's Detective Roy Grace novels. Elsewhere music critic Keith Bruce was at Kelvingrove Art Gallery for the Scottish Ensemble's Concerts For A Summer's Night programme, currently touring visual arts venues. He was wowed by guest solo soprano Heloise Werner performing a programme which included work by Italian baroque composer Barbara Strozzi and 18th century Frenchwoman Julie Pinel among others.
The Herald Scotland
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
'The witch Sturgeon ruined Scottish arts,' says actor Rupert Everett
Now 66, Everett came to Glasgow at the end of the 1970s to work at the Citz. He loved the experience. 'Glasgow was very stimulating. A different city to what it is now. When I got there the Gorbals had just come down and those horrible towers had just gone up. They were kind of magnificent in a weird way. Read more "In the wintertime that bus used to go down Gorbals Street lit at night and you just saw these towers and for me it was the best period of my life probably, being at the Citizens. It's when my education started and I found creatively it was a magnificent place to be.' He talks about the theatre and the city with huge affection. 'I lived in a series of fun places. I used to live with a professor from the university in his house off the Byres Road and then with my aunt and uncle in Helensburgh. Then they moved into Kirklee Circus. 'Being in the theatre was incredible because it had a relationship with the audience that I haven't really come across since. It was an audience that sometimes came because it was a cheap place to go and hang out. There was such a variety of people. But it wasn't necessarily highbrow. It was people who came and you entertained them. Or not. And they were quite vocal sometimes if they didn't like what they were seeing. Rupert Everett in Vortex at the Citizen's Theatre in 1988 (Image: unknown) 'I think it was very spoiling. It was very direct. It's how I imagine the relationship with the audience must have been in the Restoration in a way. It was a collaborative thing between the audience. A very vocal audience. It was literally like going into Aladdin's cave, going into the Citizens. 'For me it was a magical time and every time I get up to Glasgow on the train, as soon as I get to Motherwell I get palpitations almost. 'You used to be able to see the Citizens from the train. You can't anymore.' Of all the people he has worked with in his career it is Philip Prowse, who along with Giles Havergil and Robert David MacDonald, ran the Citizens while he was there, that he singles out. 'Philip stands out as the person who has had the biggest influence on my life. Male. The Citizens theatre redevelopment is the first major makeover of the building since it began life as a working theatre in 1878 (Image: Gordon Terris) 'I became great friends with both Philip Prowse and Robert David McDonald. They were amazingly clever people. They were really wonderful teachers to be around. 'To be in plays like David's adaptation of the complete works of Proust, for example … I started learning about everything.' That was the extraordinary thing about the Citz, he says. Its ambition. 'It was a European theatre in the same vein as Peter Stein, Pina Bauch. It was a national European theatre. And unlike those theatres, it never ran at a loss. It presented an uncompromising array of work to people that it never patronised. As soon as the witch Sturgeon came into power everything changed in Scottish arts and everything had to be about being Scottish. 'In the whole United Kingdom there was nothing like that theatre. 'It was one of the most extraordinary cultural events I think in the British scene postwar, frankly.' And will he be heading to Glasgow for the reopening in September? 'If I'm here I will get up. I'd love to get up.'
The Independent
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Theatre shut for seven-year redevelopment unveils programme ahead of reopening
A theatre which has been closed for redevelopment since 2018 has begun unveiling its programme ahead of its reopening in September. Productions including The Glass Menagerie and Beauty And The Beast are among those audiences can see at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow later this year. As previously announced, the theatre will reopen with Small Acts Of Love, a play about the bonds formed between families in the UK and the US in the wake of the Lockerbie bombing in 1988. It is a new theatrical and musical collaboration between playwright Frances Poet and composer Ricky Ross, of Deacon Blue, and has been developed with support from those affected by the Pan Am 103 atrocity in December 1988. The Citizens Theatre moved out of its historic home in the Gorbals in June 2018, ahead of the first major redevelopment of the Category B listed building since it began life as a working theatre in 1878. Theatre chiefs said the redevelopment has brought the building into the 21st century while carefully preserving its unique Victorian heritage. Dominic Hill, artistic director of the Citizens Theatre, said: '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. 'The first few months of programming reflects our commitment to both innovation and tradition, with more to be announced over the coming months. '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. 'I can't wait for audiences old and new, local and global, to experience these brilliant productions in a transformed Citizens Theatre, that will inspire audiences and great storytelling.' The theatre now has new accessible rehearsal, participation and studio spaces and a newly designed 150-seat Studio Theatre. Productions taking place in the autumn include Douglas Maxwell's comedy So Young, set in Glasgow, which explores mid-life meltdowns, grief and love. A new production of the Tennessee Williams drama The Glass Menagerie, presented by Dundee Rep Theatre in association with the Citizens Theatre, will visit in October. Later in the year audiences can look forward to the return of the Citizens' Christmas show, with a new, specially commissioned festive production of Beauty And The Beast. The Studio Theatre will host The Gift, for younger visitors aged 18 months to five years, as part of the festive programme. Tickets for the first shows will go on general sale from the end of March. Ahead of the reopening in September, local people will be invited into the theatre as part of a homecoming festival, with readings, exhibitions, tours and workshops celebrating the theatre's past, present and future. The theatre said its longstanding commitment to its neighbours in the Gorbals will continue through a new Gorbals Pass giving access to tickets for just £5 for locals with a G5 postcode. A new and expanded Participate programme will also be launched in the coming months, offering opportunities to theatre-makers from all communities, especially those traditionally marginalised. Catrin Evans, Participate director at Citizens Theatre, said: 'The reopening of the theatre is about offering a place of possibility and inspiring artistic expression for all. 'Our Participate programme has always been at the heart of the Citizens Theatre, and the new spaces and programme we can offer for creative engagement are a testament to that commitment.'
