GLASGOW’S Citizens Theatre is closing for two years but, thankfully, the shows go on. An exciting revamp of the building will see the company vacating the premises next year but continuing its much-loved work in other venues.

The focus will remain on the the south side of the city, where the theatre has given so much to the Gorbals and now plays a key part in the area’s continuing regeneration.

There can be fewer cultural institutions so rooted in their community. And how it has respected that community: no skimping on difficult work, no easy re-stagings of safe classics. The Citz developed a reputation not just for showcasing contemporary work but for boldly reinventing the old standards. That’s how the best radical projects work: by understanding the tradition that preceded them.

Now the old building is having its own bold reinvention, said to be the biggest architectural overhaul in its 139-year-old history.

As well as finding new ways to look back, the Citz has always been a forward-looking theatre, and this latest development is a commitment to continuing its inspiring, engaging and challenging work. We wish the company a productive couple of years away – if not very far – and are sure its return home in 2020 will see the theatre’s roots dug even deeper.