Citizens Theatre to Present THE SLAB BOY, Begin. 12 Feb

Citizens Theatre begins celebrations of its 70th anniversary year with a landmark production of The Slab Boys. Original creators, John Byrne and David Hayman, join forces to revive one of Scottish theatre's most iconic plays. This will be the first time that Byrne and Hayman have worked together since the work debuted on the Scottish stage in 1978. In this new production of The Slab Boys a cast of young Scottish acting talent reclaim the story for a new generation. The Slab Boys runs from 12 February - 7 March and then transfers to King's Theatre, Edinburgh from 10 - 14 March.

Byrne's seminal work paints a vivid and unflinching depiction of the tough, rebellious, working class culture of 1950s Scotland. The Slab Boys influenced a generation of writers earning a place in the list of one of the 12 key plays of the last 40 years as chosen by the National Library of Scotland. The sharp, witty exchanges of Byrne's charismatic Phil and Spanky, two restless adolescents confined by the walls of a Paisley carpet factory fully articulate the frustration of a generation battling against a staid establishment.

Following a major retrospective of Byrne's work at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery last year, he will join the creative team as designer. David Hayman will return to his original role as director, and joins the cast as Mr Currie, the gaffer. Hayman has a long association with the Citizens Theatre, appearing as a regular member of the company during the 1970s and recently returning to the Citizens' stage as King Lear in 2012.

Strutting double act Phil and Spanky will be played by Sammy Hayman and Jamie Quinn respectively. Hayman, who is David Hayman's son, recently graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and makes his debut on the Citizens' stage. Quinn is best known for his current role as Mac in BBC's Bluestone 42 and previous roles in BBC/Comedy Unit's Still Game. Quinn also appeared in the National Theatre of Scotland's 2011 tour of Blackwatch alongside Scott Fletcher who plays the role of long suffering Hector in The Slab Boys. Fletcher can currently be seen on screen playing Angus Lindsay in BBC Scotland's River City. Another star of River City, Keira Lucchesi will be playing the unattainable Lucille. Kathryn Howden returns to the Citizens' stage following recent appearances in Far Away & Seagulls, Sleeping Beauty and Footfalls. The cast is completed by James Allenby-Kirk and Kieran Baker.

Director David Hayman commented, "I'm utterly thrilled to be coming back to the Citz as a director and performer - the place where I spent the first and happy creative years of my career - and it is a privilege to be working again with the great John Byrne who is designing the show. It is especially exciting to be revisiting The Slab Boys which is one of the most important and iconic pieces of theatre to come out of Scotland in the last 30 years. It is a celebration of working class life, a wonderful story of high hopes and lost dreams."

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