The revamped Scottish theatre reopening this summer with new after school drama group for Gorbals children

The club will be part of a wider programme launched by the Citizens Theatre to engage the local community

A new after-school drama group for children in the Gorbals is to be held in the revamped Citizens Theatre after it reopens this summer.

The scheme, which will offer free, fully funded drama and creative sessions exclusively for P2–P7 pupils from two primary schools in the area, is part of a major community engagement programme at the Glasgow theatre. The venue has been closed for seven years to undergo a major refurbishment.

The programme represents a new era of engagement for the building known locally as the Citz, building on the legacy of over 20 years of community outreach and the projects and connections it has worked hard to nurture while the building has been closed for redevelopment

The Participate programme will also include long-term community residencies with vulnerable groups, adult education and social participation sessions in the heart of the theatre.

The school group, G5 Creators, will launch at the end of August. Building upon two long-term school residencies, pupils from Blackfriars and St Francis primary schools will take the short walk to the Citz itself once the building reopens for weekly after-school creative sessions and ultimately performances.

READ MORE: Look inside 'intimate' Scottish theatre preparing to reopen to public after 7 years

Catrin Evans, participate director at Citizens Theatre, said: “I am delighted to launch our Participate programme today and share our commitment to communities as part of the new era of the Citizens Theatre when we reopen later this year.

“With the incredible facilities of the new building matched to an exciting range of activities to connect and create together, we are able to offer truly inclusive opportunities to more people than ever before. At the Citz, we believe that theatre and drama are a powerful tool to give voice to our collective stories, rooted in both the local and global.

“We want everyone to feel a sense of belonging as they embark on their journey with us, both long-standing participants and those visiting for the first time. We can't wait to welcome everyone through our doors to play their part in our story.”

The Citizens Theatre is set to re-open in August following a seven-year refurbishment

The theatre’s relaunch

The theatre has confirmed it will open in late summer, with the first cast members due back into the building for rehearsals by late July.

The building has undergone a transformational, multi-million pound refurbishment, the first since the category B-listed venue began life as a working theatre in 1878.

The seats from the theatre's auditorium have been kept. | John Devlin

Initially slated for reopening in 2021, the project was delayed by the Covid pandemic and complications with the renovation. Final costs are believed to be more than £30 million, with the Scottish Government forced to step in at the end of last year to plug an £8m funding shortfall that MSPs warned could put the theatre’s future at risk.

In September, Small Acts of Love, a collaboration by playwright Frances Poet and composer Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue, will be the first play performed to an audience since the refurbishment.

The drama, which looks at bonds formed between families on both sides of the Atlantic in the wake of the Lockerbie bombing, was researched and developed with support from families and communities who were directly affected.