Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre has been named Great British Theatre of the Year following its £40 million transformation.
The Gorbals venue took the top honour at the inaugural Great British Theatres Awards in London on Monday night, less than 18 months after reopening following a seven-year closure.
The Citizens also won the Great Renovation award for the redevelopment of its historic home.
The theatre reopened in August 2025 after undergoing the first comprehensive redevelopment of the building since it opened as a working theatre in 1878.
The £40m project restored the Victorian auditorium while adding new rehearsal and production facilities, improved backstage areas, a new studio, community spaces and expanded hospitality facilities.
Theatres Trust judges said the redevelopment had preserved the historic character of the Citizens while creating new spaces for audiences and artists.
The theatre was named Great British Theatre 2026 after judges praised its commitment to accessibility, inclusion and community engagement.
The Great Renovation award recognised the way the project retained the original Victorian auditorium while introducing modern facilities and opening the building more directly to its Gorbals community.
The Citizens closed for redevelopment in 2018.
The project faced a series of delays, including the pandemic, rising construction costs and unforeseen problems with the historic building.
It eventually reopened in August last year.
The Citizens describes the redevelopment as the biggest capital investment in a producing theatre in Scotland for a generation.
The Scottish Government announced a further £3.5m for the project earlier this year, bringing its total contribution towards the redevelopment to £17.5m.
The Citizens was not the only Scottish winner at the awards.
Eden Court in Inverness jointly won the Great Community Connection category for work tackling rural isolation and supporting communities across the Highlands.
Leith Theatre Trust was also named a joint winner of the Great British Theatres Shining Star award for its long-running campaign to safeguard and restore the historic Edinburgh venue.
The awards were launched by Theatres Trust to mark its 50th anniversary.
Actor and theatre campaigner Julie Hesmondhalgh received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony, held at Central Hall Westminster.
The Citizens’ overall award was presented by Theatres Trust chief executive Joshua McTaggart and Scottish actor Denis Lawson.