Glasgow Citizens Theatre inviting communities to Assemble festival

The Assemble festival will take place from June 6 to 20, offering a mix of drop-in and bookable activities within the theatre's spaces.

Activities will include performances, storytelling, visual art, heritage tours and workshops.

The festival's first week will spotlight work developed through the Citizens Theatre’s Participate programme over the past year.

The second week will focus on community connections and coincide with Refugee Festival Scotland.

Citizens Theatre invites communities to Assemble, a new two-week festival taking place this June (Image: Eoin Carey)

Assemble will feature Project 21, celebrating 21 years of the Citizens Theatre’s Young Company, theatre lab workshops, multilingual heritage tours and the Big Drama Drop-in hosted by the Community Collective.

Building on the legacy of the theatre’s Homecoming Festival in August 2025, this is the first Assemble festival, which will return annually.

Catrin Evans, participate director, said: "The Citizens Theatre lives and breathes because of the people who are part of it.

"We have been blown away by the response and engagement from communities since we re-opened.

"We see every day how theatre and creativity open up spaces for shared stories, artistic exploration and meaningful connection.

"Our new Assemble festival builds on that spirit of community.

"Whether watching a performance, taking part in a workshop or dropping in for our neighbours coffee morning, I'm excited to invite communities across Glasgow to come together this June to connect with us and each other."

Citizens Theatre invites communities to Assemble, a new two-week festival taking place this June (Image: Alasdair Watson)

Assemble kicks off with the Community Collective, the theatre's longest-standing group, participating in the annual Gorbals Fair.

The first week will feature performances and events developed over the past year through the theatre’s Participate programmes.

Each group has been developing work in weekly sessions since February, now sharing it as part of Assemble with fellow participants, friends, family and public audiences.

Groups have been given starting points connected to productions presented at the theatre since re-opening, and have been invited to integrate and reimagine objects and props from those shows, explore themes that have emerged across the building-wide programme and respond to words, lines and imagery from the scripts.

The second week of the festival coincides with Refugee Festival Scotland and focuses on forging meaningful connections between people through creativity, performance and cultural exchange.

Echoing the spirit of the Homecoming festival, the programme combines a mix of drop-in and open activities alongside bookable events, with an emphasis on heritage and shared cultural experiences.

Project 21, celebrating 21 years of the Citizens Theatre’s Young Company, is a highlight of the programme.

Bringing together alumni and current members, the event includes an evening of new writing created with and performed by Young Company artists aged 18 to 23.

Developed with playwrights Davey Anderson, Catriona McNicoll and Sara Shaarawi, the performances reflect on the experiences that have shaped a new generation over the last 21 years.

Citizens Theatre invites communities to Assemble, a new two-week festival taking place this June (Image: Alex Brady)

The festival will also see the 119 Players, the Citizens Theatre’s long-running group for learning disabled and neurodiverse adults, present Stand Up!

This new performance celebrates individuals who step outside their comfort zone to create change.

The group, who have been meeting weekly for more than a decade, were a central part of the theatre’s Homecoming celebrations and now bring their work to wider audiences.