The Guest

Tonight I attended a behind the scenes tour of the Citizens Theatre arranged by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.

Just as I arrived at the Citizens, the sky was amazing looking towards the last remaining Gorbals flats. The bus and the mysterious figure really made it for me.

The Citizens Theatre has the most complete working Victorian theatre machinery in the UK and is the second oldest operational theatre in the UK, preceded only by Leeds Grand which opened 6 weeks earlier. The building, which is a Grade B listed building retains many of its Victorian architectural features; it is the only theatre in Scotland still to have its original machinery under the stage. The theatre also features an original Victorian paint frame and related fly system, which is still used today to paint backcloths. The remnants of an old bowling alley and a shooting range are closed up beneath the theatre.

The building which is now known as the Citizens Theatre was built in 1876 and opened in 1878 as His Majesty’s Theatre. It was one of four theatres in the area at that time – the now O2 Academy, the Coliseum (now demolished) and the Palace of Varieties (formerly adjacent to the Citizens Theatre).