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| Publicity shot - Not our tour |
I was meant to attend this tour back in January, but a clash with a funeral meant I had to reschedule. Stupidly, I entered the new date incorrectly in my diary, thinking it was on Friday. Fortunately, I spotted the notification on my phone early enough for us to get there on time.
Our group of mostly retirees gathered in the cafe. I overheard one elderly man discussing how he'd first attended a show here back in 1973. His friend replied that he'd still been in nursery at the time.
The tour started promptly at 11 am. We had two hosts: Patricia and Neil. Patricia was a volunteer who provided us with most of the information - the dates and details; Neil has worked in the Theatre for over twenty-five years, and he added the anecdotal garnish, with tales of productions and performers. The combination worked well.
As a working theatre, some areas were off-limits to our tour. We were also told we were forbidden from taking photos of any of the staff.
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| Black Box Theatre |
We began the tour at the Black Box Theatre. It has direct street access (which is unusual for a theatre), seats 152, and can be converted into a rehearsal space by pushing the seating back. One remarkable fact is that the seats here share the same density as a human, so the acoustics remain perfect even if the seat is empty.
The ceiling has a grill, enabling technicians to walk across it without fear of falling (except it's high up and feels like being on a trampoline, so perhaps not entirely scare-free).
From there, we were led to the stalls of the renovated main theatre. Previously, the space had been dark and cramped, with black walls and poor lighting, and a capacity of approximately 1,000. Now, the 650 seats (in total) are plush and comfortable, with air conditioning installed beneath the ones here in the stalls. Unfortunately, no one told this to the kids who attended the Pantomime, some of whom thought the plates were drains for their beverages.
The Citizens has its own in-house costume, set and prop departments, a rare asset in today's theatre world. They created the painting of The Searchers, which was used as a backdrop in the recent production of The Long Drop. It was painted directly onto the rough brickwork and, under certain lighting conditions, could be made to disappear. While the sets have been retained, as there is talk of a return of the successful production, the painting will, unfortunately, be returned to black before the next show.
Sustainability is a huge deal for the Theatre, so nearly all sets and costumes are recycled or repurposed. We weren't allowed into those departments because teams were hard at work. The show must go on, as they say. No time to allow visitors a swatch.
Originally, the theatre sat beside The Palace Theatre, with a third one in between, at the end of the connecting close. It was, not surprisingly, known as The Close Theatre. It also had the nickname "The Blood and Glitter Theatre" due to its outlandish productions. A production of Shakespeare would not be as tame as what you'd get in London's more traditional West End. As such, it attracted outrage in the press and, accordingly, regularly sold out. The theatre, unfortunately, burned down in 1973.
The Palace Theatre went on to become a cinema, then a bingo hall, then a derelict, before being purchased by the City Council, who left it to rot further. A storm brought the roof down, so they decided to demolish it. With only twenty-four hours' notice, a few civic-minded individuals rescued as much of the interior as they could. It had been designed around an Indian colonial theme, so that's where the elephant statues seen in the Citizens corridor came from. Other items are in storage, pending display.
Next, we were taken down to the Understage. The lower area is not in use now, but it was preserved during the renovation so people can see how the staging operated before the theatre had electricity, using ropes, pulleys, and counterweights. The ghost trap got removed in the 1950s after an actor became injured when it suddenly dropped. We were also informed about the Citizens Corsican Trap, which allowed actors to rise vertically, appearing to float. Its construction was a trade secret, known only to the original builders.
The rake of the old stage was steeper than in other theatres, which was a problem for touring productions because their sets would roll downstage towards the audience. The new stage has a more acceptable gradient (1:17), while retaining visibility and intimacy.
Next, we journeyed up the stairs to the Circle of the main theatre. Here, Patricia explained that, in olden days, this was where the wealthy sat, clinking their jewellery, while the plebs sat on the benches in the stalls. She pointed out that the boxes had no view of the stage. The individuals there were seen as possessing status and wealth.
She told us the tale of the first pantomime, Ali Baba, which resulted in a riot when the scenery malfunctioned, bringing the production to a halt. The manager sent his wife out to calm the angry audience, to no avail. The manager didn't last long after that.
She also mentioned tales of the various ghosts that have been spotted: an actor, a monk and a hooded figure. One worker once witnessed the apparition of a Victorian lady and refused to return.
The area once housed the city's Leper Hospital, run by monks. Lepers from all over were sent there. These were known locally as 'Gorbs'. There is a suggestion that the name "The Gorbals" derives from these lepers, as they wore bells, hence "gorb bells".
In 1945, the theatre changed its name from the Royal Princess's Theatre to the Citizens Theatre when the Citizens Theatre Company relocated there. In 1969, the triumvirate of Giles Havergal, Philip Prowse and Robert David MacDonald took over and brought about a renaissance, during which the theatre developed a global reputation for excellence, for producing experimental works, and for its outreach programmes with local community groups.
Lastly, we were shown down a corridor that overlooks the paint room and the fly room. The innovation in the former is that the canvas can be raised and lowered, rather than requiring the artist to use ladders or work on the floor. Afterwards, the canvas can be slid through a slot in the wall onto the stage. The corridor will host more audiovisual presentations later, but I took a few snaps of the displays.
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| The fly floor |
The final image shows the six statues that topped the frontage of the old theatre. These were retained and still sit proudly above the theatre. They denote four muses (art, dance, music and drama), as well as Robert Burns and William Shakespeare.
The theatre retains links with community groups today. This installation is by women from the Lilias Centre, a custody unit. It's visually striking, but none of the artists has been able to visit as they are still detained at His Majesty's pleasure.
The heritage tour is still being developed, but even at this early stage, it's a fascinating journey. A lovely way to spend an hour and a half.
Ticket Price: £8 x 2 plus £2.50 fee = £18.50 from Citizens Theatre.
