BBC Scotland this morning reporting the Citizens Theatre revamp funds being made available last minute but with no time, it seems, to tell you who from.
The Herald, also, making you work to find out, with:
If YOU have the time, you can find, in the Herald report:
The Scottish Government has signed off another multi-million pound bail-out for Glasgow’s 148-year-old Citizens Theatre to help meet the final costs of its long-delayed revamp.
Ministers have approved another £3.5 million for the refurbishment, which reopened to the public last August after a seven-year closure, despite the project receiving an additional £8m from the government and £2m from the city council to allow the Citizens to reopen last year.
but, they seem to have understated the SNP‘s role in all this. From Grok AI:
The Glasgow Citizens Theatre (often called “the Citz”) in the Gorbals underwent a major seven-year redevelopment/revamp of its historic Victorian building. The project faced significant cost overruns (original estimates around £19–20 million, final cost reportedly approaching or exceeding £30 million) and reopened to the public in August 2025. https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/buildings/bennetts-completes-revamp-of-glasgows-citizens-theatre
The primary funders are public bodies, which have covered the bulk of the costs:
Scottish Government: The largest single contributor, with a total of £17.5 million. This includes multiple grants over the years, such as an £8 million boost in late 2024 and a final £3.5 million announced recently (as of March 2026) to cover the last costs of the refurbishment. https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/scottish-news/25964244.historic-glasgow-citizens-theatre-gets-major-3-5m-funding-boost/
Glasgow City Council: Several million pounds in total, including £2 million from the Common Good Fund in 2024, plus earlier commitments (e.g., £1 million+ in 2018–2019). https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czvvz4zld4do
National Lottery Heritage Fund (formerly Heritage Lottery Fund): £4.8–7.2 million (reports vary slightly on the exact figure; it supported conservation and improvements). heritagefund.org.uk
Creative Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland: Significant contributions (Creative Scotland had applications for around £1.5 million; Historic Environment Scotland provided targeted grants). https://www.glasgowarchitecture.co.uk/citizens-theatre-redevelopment
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I go by the new building quite often but so far there has been nothing I fancy watching.
I remember seeing their production of The Picture of Dorian Gray in the nineties. Rupert Everett was in it. The scene change at the end was incredible.
Going back further, I liked The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black Black Oil in the seventies still stands out.
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“I remember seeing their production of The Picture of Dorian Gray in the nineties. Rupert Everett was in it”
Rupert Everett you say.
Cuckooshoe , I remember when this was reported in the media:
“In June 2025, actor Rupert Everett heavily criticized the Scottish National Party (SNP) and former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, accusing them of damaging the arts in Scotland and prioritizing a narrow, nationalistic focus”.
In an interview with The Herald, “Everett referred to Nicola Sturgeon as a “witch” and claimed that “as soon as the witch Sturgeon came into power, everything changed in Scottish arts and everything had to be about being Scottish”.
He argued that “the SNP government destroyed the previous, more international, and high-quality artistic landscape in Scotland, particularly contrasting it with his memory of the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow in previous decades, which he described as a “national European theatre”.
No doubt he, like so many other critics , will now choose to stay schtum on this generous donation made to the Citizens Theatre revamp , all thanks to the same SNP , as the Scottish government , that he , Everett, somehow previously saw fit to criticise, with him being a non Scottish resident so obviously he should know, all because he once acted upon a Scottish stage…….years before ………so then now he is apparently an expert on funding for the Arts in Scotland.
Of course he is another one failing to recognise that Scotland is not an independent country so then our devolved government does not have all of the powers , control and money to spend where they will………if only.
Also with him calling a Ms Sturgeon a “witch” , well that does then tend to expose both his misogyny and his obvious dislike of the SNP……….also him saying that under the SNP “everything had to be about being Scottish”….was that wrong then….in Scotland…..does he think everything (like him) should only ever be about being English in his UK State ?
So then his opinion in 2025 was not an impartial observation by him but just another opposing voice attacking the SNP aka another #SNPBAD opinion being given a public platform in the media.
File him under ‘clueless partisan Idiot’……..another one.
(Mind you with me adding my comment on now, so late after your one, then it may then not get noticed by you……..not a bad thing really).
Liz S
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I wonder what thinks of the Citizens Theatre now that it has been saved by the SNP? I dont agree with his views about Nicola Sturgeon either, or about it no longer being a european theatre. With broadcasting not being devolved, I am looking forward to watching homegrown talent and dramas at the Citizens. The scene I remember which featured Rupert Everett’s character was when he was mingling among the audience in the stalls (I was watching in the upper circle). I am not sure if his role was even big enough to get a mention in the reviews. The stand-out scene I remember most, from over 30 years ago, was transformation of that stage in the time it took me to finish saying OMG!
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