FEVER DREAM: SOUTHSIDE Set for Citizens Theatre

The world premiere of a new play set in Glasgow's Southside will take place on Sat 25 April at the Citizens Theatre. Fever Dream: Southside, a surreal comic thriller by Douglas Maxwell and directed by Dominic Hill will preview 23 and 24 April and run until 9 May.

Fever Dream: Southside follows a hallucinatory journey to unravel the tangled lives of a disparate group of recognisable Glaswegian characters set against a backdrop of familiar Southside landmarks. A colourful representation of the Citizens' own neighbourhood, the play gives an account of the trials of bringing up children today and the tensions, conflicts and community spirit that come from living in a city.

Artistic Director Dominic Hill discussing the play, said: "2015 is the 70th anniversary of our company's first production in the Citizens Theatre and in this season we wanted to present work that celebrates our position as an important cultural provider for the whole of Glasgow, and particularly for the Southside. With Fever Dream: Southside, Douglas has created a wonderful, unusual, intriguing and very funny play that, with the Southside as its setting, explores universal themes of parenthood, responsibility and community. It is my first commission of a new play for the Citizens and the first time I've directed Douglas' work. I hope it will be a terrific event for audiences.'

Playwright Douglas Maxwell is a Southside resident whose work includes the award-winning Decky Does a Bronco. Speaking about his first major play at the Citizens Theatre he said: "I first began the process of writing Fever Dream: Southside a few years ago just after the birth of my first daughter. Despite the title, Fever Dream: Southside is not a portrait of the Southside of Glasgow - it's a self-portrait. The Southside is in the background, warped and distorted. It's a reflection on how I felt at that time, not what was actually happening. I had worries and anxieties about raising my new family in the city and was struggling with my need for community while at the same time facing a fear of community."

Lighting design for Fever Dream: Southside is by Lizzie Powell, who has previously worked with Hill on A Christmas Carol, The Libertine, Far Away, Krapp's Last Tape and Footfalls. Designer Neil Warmington has designed productions for National Theatre of Scotland, Dundee Rep, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, and was nominated for a CATS Award for Best Design for The Dark Things, directed by Dominic Hill and lit by Lizzie Powell.

The cast of Fever Dream: Southside are Charlene Boyd, Martin Donaghy, Martin McCormick, Umar Malik, Dharmesh Patel, Scott Reid, Kirsty Stuart and Harry Ward.

Tickets for Fever Dream: Southside are on sale now and available from citz.co.uk or by calling the box office on 0141 429 0022.

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