AWARD-winning poet and writer, Jackie Kay, has joined the board of directors at the Citizens Theatre.

Jackie, author of The Adoption Papers, Red Dust Road and Trumpet, has joined the board of the Gorbals-based theatre, which has been forced closed for the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The theatre is currently undergoing a redevelopment project which will see the refurbishment of the site, due to be completed in 2022.

She said: "It is a theatre close to my heart and some of my earliest memories are of being taken there as a young girl by my parents. The very name and ethos, to be a theatre that engages people from all walks of life and communities across Scotland, chimes with me.

"I look forward to working with the staff and other board members on the current programme - and to a new era in Scottish theatre when the Citizens opens its magnificent new doors in 2022."

April Chamberlain, chair of the Citizens Theatre Board, said: “It is with huge pleasure that I welcome Jackie to the board. She joins us at a significant time as we prepare to deliver our ambitious plans for the redeveloped Theatre. Jackie has a long association with the Citizens.

"Her parents were incredibly supportive of touring Scottish theatre and her father John, was a leading light on the board of Wildcat. Jackie and her parents enjoyed many visits to see productions at the Citz. I very much look forward to working with her."