Citizens Theatre Announces Spring 2013 Season

Media Release
20 November 2012
For immediate use

DOMINIC HILL TO DIRECT NEW VERSION OF DOCTOR FAUSTUS
CITIZENS SPRING SEASON 2013 ANNOUNCED

The Citizens Theatre’s Spring 2013 Season will be headlined by Artistic Director Dominic Hill’s new contemporary production of Christopher Marlowe’s mythic tale DOCTOR FAUSTUS in the theatre’s first co-production with West Yorkshire Playhouse. With the classic story firmly placed in today’s consumer-led world, this new production brings back together the team that created the smash-hit Peer Gynt, and features two re-written acts by celebrated playwright Colin Teevan

Also this spring, director-designer Stewart Laing brings his unique aesthetic vision to a new Citizens production of Jean Genet’s THE MAIDS and will be reviving his highly-acclaimed immersive music theatre event THE SALON PROJECT on the main stage with Untitled Projects.

Donna Franceschild will offer a fresh look at her cult 90’s BBC drama TAKIN’ OVER THE ASYLUM in a new co-production with Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre which will premiere at the Gorbals theatre.

Following success with the recent co-production of Medea, the Citizens welcomes back Headlong with a new contemporary version by John Donnelly of Anton’s Chekov’s classic THE SEAGULL created with Nuffield Theatre Southampton, bringing a further innovative re-imagining of a classic text to Glasgow audiences.

Closing the season, Dominic Hill will direct the Scottish premiere of Caryl Churchill’s chilling dystopian play FAR AWAY in a double bill with the rarely performed SEAGULLS.

Announcing the new season Dominic Hill commented:

“I am delighted to be announcing a new season of classic works that have a fresh, contemporary perspective brought to them. Producing provocative new interpretations of legendary tales like
Doctor Faustus, alongside modern plays that have a universal and enduring appeal, is for me very much what the Citizens is about. I’ve loved my first year as Artistic Director and am excited by a new season that strongly reflects the artistic direction we are now taking.”

DOCTOR FAUSTUS (4 - 27 April)
A Citizens Theatre co-production with West Yorkshire Playhouse.

From the same writer and director team behind the smash hit Peer Gynt - “the finest piece of classic theatre Scotland has produced in half a decade”- and in the first Citizens production of Doctor Faustus for over 45 years, Christopher Marlowe’s mythic tale of mankind’s insatiable greed for power is given a modern day twist.

This new adaptation combines Christopher Marlowe’s original acts one, two and five with acts three and four re-written by playwright Colin Teevan.

Colin Richmond (CATS nominee, Best Design, Betrayal) will design the production with lighting by Tim Mitchell. An original score will be created by BAFTA award-winning composer and sound designer Dan Jones.

Faustus’ restless quest for knowledge and his insatiable desire for notoriety drive him to make a pact with the devil in return for the power to perform the black arts. This life-changing decision propels him into a heady, celebrity-obsessed world, as magician and illusionist to the rich and famous. Quenching sexual desires as his power grows, he must question whether the price was worth paying. The universal truths held in this 400-year-old cautionary tale resonate powerfully with the greed of today’s consumer-led society. 

Doctor Faustus will play at West Yorkshire Playhouse from 22 February - 16 March 2013.

THE MAIDS (17 January – 2 February)
A Citizens Theatre Production.

Returning to the main stage of the Citizens where he learnt his trade, the Tony Award winning director-designer Stewart Laing will direct The Maids by Jean Genet, translated by Martin Crimp.

Set in the modern day, Laing aims to evoke the avant-garde spirit of the original by casting young male actors in the roles of the three female protagonists. The parts will be played by graduates from the Royal Conservatoire Scotland: Samuel Keefe (The Mistress), Ross Mann (Maid-Claire) and Scott Reid (Maid–Solange), who will bring Genet’s tale of power-games, fantasy, obsession, high-society and murder to life.

TAKIN’ OVER THE ASYLUM (14 February – 9 March)
A co-production between the Citizens Theatre and Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

Commissioned by the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Donna Franceschild adapts her cult 90’s BBC TV series (famously starring David Tennant and Ken Stott) into a new stage play.

Fighting against illness and perception, Eddie and the patients of St Jude’s strive for their dreams to be accepted. Hope and joy in the fragile beauty of the human heart wash over this hilarious and profoundly moving adaptation directed by the Royal Lyceum’s Mark Thomson and featuring a fantastic R&B soundtrack.

Director Mark Thomson commented:
“The Citizens was the theatre I sat in and whose magic wooed me to a life dedicated to making theatre.  So I am thrilled that we at the Lyceum and the Citizens are together making a piece of theatre to be celebrated in both Glasgow and Edinburgh.  Donna Franceschild’s fantastic TV series has been made into a piece of theatre that is funny, moving and brave.  It’s a story of people who sometimes fall under the radar but who are remarkable and worthy of our attention.”

Cast announced so far include: Iain Robertson (Eddie), Brian Vernel (Campbell), Helen Mallon (Francine), Caroline Paterson (Rosalie), Grant O’ Rourke (Fergus), Martin
McCormick (Stuart), Gayle Madine (Aileen), Gregor Firth (Hector) and Lucy Hollis (Margaret).

This production will also play at the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, 13 March – 6 April.

THE SALON PROJECT (15 March- 23 March)
An Untitled Projects production in association with the Citizens Theatre.

Following sell out performances and critical acclaim at the Traverse Theatre last year The Salon Project an immersive music theatre event inspired by the rituals of a 19th century Parisian salon, will be re-mounted on the Citizens main stage.

Recreating the exclusive meetings at the heart of what was the ‘Golden Age’ of French society, the audience is transformed through the use of period costume. Mingling with other guests in the opulent salon, the piece deliberately asks the audience to explore the past and present, simultaneously throwing up a mirror of contrasts, paradoxes and associations between the golden era of salon society and our own era of economic excess.

This real life version of social networking will be devised and directed by Stewart Laing who will also perform in the piece alongside a series of guest speakers, who will engage the audience in conversations on topics at the cutting edge of 21st century thinking on science, art, medicine and music.
Astonishing…one of the most complete immersive theatre experiences ever conceived.
****The Scotsman

Extraordinary, intellectually provocative and tremendously good fun.

****The Guardian

The Salon Project will also tour to the Barbican, London in April 2013.

THE SEAGULL (1 – 11 May)
Headlong & Nuffield Theatre Southampton
Following previous success with collaborations on Medea and Angels in America, the Citizens continues its relationship with Headlong, welcoming the company back to the theatre with a new contemporary production of Anton Chekhov’s THE SEAGULL in a new version by hotly-tipped writer John Donnelly. 

One of the greatest plays of the modern era, Chekhov’s first play is a story of unrequited love, creativity and high emotions, exploring how we create stories and the frustrations and fulfilments of putting words on a page. The Seagull is directed by Blanche McIntyre.

FAR AWAY
with SEAGULLS (23 May – 8 June)
A Citizens Theatre Production

Receiving its Scottish premiere, the Citizens presents contemporary classic FAR AWAY by English dramatist Caryl Churchill. Frequently referred to as ‘the greatest living English playwright’, Churchill is the author of over 30 plays including Top Girls, Serious Money and Cloud Nine.

When a young girl wakes in the night at her aunt and uncle’s house, she hears and sees things no child would forget. Teetering on the brink of self-destruction, society has lost all moral bearings, nature has turned on itself and it’s hard to know who to trust. As she grapples with the brutal and engulfing paranoia, a love affair plays out against the odds. Set in a dystopian society, Far Away is an unsettling, chilling and darkly comic play that changed the landscape of contemporary theatre. A decade after its London premiere at the Royal Court in 2001, it continues to powerfully resonate with world events today.

Directed by Dominic Hill, Far Away will be performed on the main stage in a double-bill with the rarely seen SEAGULLS, a short play about a woman who has the unusual gift of being able to move objects by power of thought.

GLASGOW COMEDY FESTIVAL (25 March –30 March)

The theatre continues its successful partnership with the Glasgow Comedy Festival as it plays host to a top line up of comedians including: Richard Herring, Chris Addison, John Shuttleworth and Fred MacAulay.

CITIZENS LEARNING
The Citizens continues to present its wide-ranging programme of weekly drama classes for children, teenagers and adults alongside pioneering creative learning projects in the communities and education sectors of Scotland.

DIVIDED CITY - Hat trick as anti-sectarianism production is brought back to the stage.
Citizens Theatre and South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Ltd
Hamilton Townhouse (7 February – 9 February)

Highly acclaimed production DIVIDED CITY is back thanks to funding from the Scottish Government, awarded to the project as part of a commitment to eradicate bigotry and hatred in Scotland. Working in partnership with South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Limited and South Lanarkshire Council’s Education Resources, this is the third time this successful project developed by the Citizens Learning department has been run in Scotland and the first time outwith Glasgow.

The stage play is based on the critically acclaimed book by Theresa Breslin which explores religious tension in Glasgow through a gripping tale about two boys, one Celtic fan, one Rangers fan, who must find their own answers in a divided world. Directed by Guy Hollands, Associate Director (Citizens Learning) and Community Director Elly Goodman, it will be performed by a cast of pupils from South Lanarkshire secondary schools alongside a nine piece professional band at the Town House, Hamilton in February 2013.

-ENDS-

For further information, press tickets, interview and picture requests please contact:
Keren Nicol, Senior Marketing and Press Officer: 0141 418 6233 / keren@citz.co.uk


NOTES TO EDITORS

Doctor Faustus – previous productions
The last Citizens produced version of the play was in December 1965 as part of the Citizens Close Theatre Club season. TAG Theatre Company commissioned a new version by Edwin Morgan, directed by James Brining in 1999 which toured Scotland (including a run at the Citizens). 

LISTINGS
Tickets: citz.co.uk / 0141 429 0022

Citizens Theatre
THE MAIDS
By Jean Genet
Translated by Martin Crimp
Directed and designed by Stewart Laing

Main Theatre
Thu 17 January – Sat 2 February, 7.30pm

Previews: Thu 17 Jan & Fri 18 Jan, 7.30pm
Matinee: Sat 26 Jan, 2.30pm
Audio Described: Thu 24 Jan, 7.30pm
Signed: Thu 31 Jan, 7.30pm

Press performance: Sat 19 Jan, 7.30pm

TICKETS
£12-£19 (concessions available)
Previews £8 │ Tuesdays £12

*****************************************************************
Citizens Theatre and South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Ltd
DIVIDED CITY
By Theresa Breslin
Adapted by Martin Travers
Directed by Guy Hollands and Elly Goodman

Hamilton Town House
Thur 7 February – Sat 9 February, 7.30pm

TICKETS
£10 | £6 concession

sllcboxoffice.co.uk

***************************************************************
Citizens Theatre and Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
TAKIN’ OVER THE ASYLUM
By Donna Franceschild
Directed by Mark Thomson
Designed by Alex Lowde
Lighting by Chris Davey

Main Theatre
Thu 14 February - Sat 9 March, 7:30pm

Previews: Thu 14 Feb & Fri 15 Feb, 7.30pm
Matinee: Sat 2 Mar & Sat 11 Mar, 2.30pm
Audio Described: Wed 27 Feb, 7.30pm
Signed: Thu 28 Feb, 7.30pm
Captioned: Thu 7 Mar, 7.30pm

Press performance: Sat 16 Feb, 7.30pm

TICKETS
£12-£19 (concessions available)
Previews £8 │ Tuesdays £12

This production will also play at the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, 13 Mar – 6 Apr
lyceum.org.uk

*********************************************************************
Untitled Projects
THE SALON PROJECT
Artistic Director Stewart Laing
Costume Design by Theo Clinkard
Lighting Design by Mike Brooks
Sound Design by Jack Wrigley and Robbie Thomson

Main Theatre
Fri 15 March – Sat 23 March, 6.30pm/7pm/7.30pm

Signed: Thu 21 Mar, 6.30pm/7pm/7.30pm
Press performances: Fri 15 Mar, 6.30pm; Sat 16 Mar, 6.30pm; Tue 19 Mar, 6.30pm

TICKETS
£25
This production will also play at the Barbican London, 4 Apr –14 Apr
barbican.org.uk

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GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL
Mon 25 March – Sat 30 March, 8.30pm

Richard Herring Mon 25 Mar All tickets £15
Chris Addison Wed 27 Mar All tickets £20
John Shuttleworth Thu 28 Mar All tickets £15
Fred MacAulay Sat 30 Mar All tickets £15

*****************************************************************
Citizens Theatre & West Yorkshire Playhouse
DOCTOR FAUSTUS
By Christopher Marlowe and Colin Teevan
Directed by Dominic Hill
Design by Colin Richmond
Lighting by Tim Mitchell
Music by Dan Jones

Main Theatre
Thu 4 April – Sat 27 April, 7.30pm

Previews: Thu 4 Apr & Fri 5 Apr, 7.30pm
Matinee: Sat 20 Apr, 2pm
Audio Described: Thu 11 Apr, 7.30pm
Signed: Thu 18 Apr, 7.30pm
Captioned: Thu 25 Apr, 7.30pm

Press performance: Sat 6 Apr, 7.30pm

TICKETS
£12-£19 (concessions available)
Previews £8 │ Tuesdays £12

*****************************************************************
Headlong & Nuffield Theatre Sheffield
THE SEAGULL
Anton Chekhov
New version by John Donnelly
Directed by Blanche MacIntyre

Main Theatre
Wed 1 – Sat 11 May, 7.30pm

Matinee: Sat 11 May 2.30pm

Press performance: Wed 1 May, 7.30pm

TICKETS
£12-£19 (concessions available)
Tuesdays £12

*****************************************************************
Citizens Theatre
FAR AWAY & SEAGULLS
By Caryl Churchill
Directed by Dominic Hill

Main Theatre
Thu 23 May – Sat 8 Jun, 7.30pm

Previews: Thu 23 May & Fri 24 May, 7.30pm
Matinee: Sat 1 Jun, 2.30pm

Press performance: Sat 25 May, 7.30pm

TICKETS
£12-£19 (concessions available)
Previews £8 │ Tuesdays £12

*****************************************************************
DANCE SCHOOL OF SCOTLAND

Main Theatre
Sat 15 June – Wed 19 June, 7.30pm

Matinee: Sat 15 Jun, 2.30pm

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