A History Of Scottish Drama In Six Plays
Produced by the Scottish Society of Playwrights in association with Bespoken Media and the Traverse Theatre by Fergus MorganAbout
Written drama has existed in Scotland since the sixteenth century. This is its story.
A History Of Scottish Drama In Six Plays is a new podcast from journalist and critic Fergus Morgan, charting the story of Scottish drama from the sixteenth century to today.
Over six episodes, the podcast will travel from pre-Reformation Scotland to the present day, alighting on seminal plays along the way – including The Satire Of The Three Estates, Men Should Weep, Passing Places, Black Watch and more – and discussing their significance in the extraordinary, ongoing evolution of Scottish drama.
Featuring insights and memories from playwrights, performers, academics, critics and others, the podcast journeys from the turbulent court of King James V in the 1540s, to the bustling Traverse Theatre in the 1980s, to the uncertain industry of 2024.
Image: Serden Salih
A History Of Scottish Drama In Six Plays has been created with support from the Scottish Society of Playwrights’ SSP@50 Fellowship Awards and from Creative Scotland. Episodes 2, 3 and 4 are also supported by The National Theatre of Scotland.
The Traverse Theatre is funded by Creative Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council.
Episode 1 - A Satire Of The Three Estates
What did theatre look like in pre-reformation Scotland? Who was David Lyndsey? Why did he write A Satire Of The Three Estates? What makes it such a remarkable play? And what came next, after the reformation?
Episode 2 - Men Should Weep
What did theatre look like in the nineteenth century? What role did amateur activity play in Scottish drama in the early twentieth century? What did Glasgow Unity Theatre do? Who was Ena Lamont Stewart? How did she write a classic piece of social realism - and how was it forgotten about for over thirty years?
Episode 3 - The Cheviot, The Stag and The Black, Black Oil
What happened in Scottish theatre in the 1950s and 1960s? How did Scottish drama explode in the 1970s? What role did 7:84 play? What happens in The Cheviot, The Stag And The Black, Black Oil, and why is it so celebrated?
Episode 4 - Losing Venice
What happened in Scottish theatre in the 1980s? How was the country's staunch opposition to Margaret Thatcher expressed on stage? How did a new generation of boundary-breaking playwrights emerge at the Traverse Theatre? What happened when arts cuts began to bite?
Episode 5 - Passing Places
What happened when Glasgow became European City of Culture in 1990? What influence did that have on Scottish theatre? How did a new generation of playwrights grapple with Scotland's post-industrial identity? What happened when they went on strike to get paid properly?
Episode 6 - Black Watch
What happened in Scottish theatre after Scottish devolution in 1997 and the reconvening of the Scottish parliament in 1999? How did the National Theatre of Scotland come into being? How did it achieve such incredible, international success within months of opening? And what about the history of Gaelic drama in Scotland, which this series has not touched on so far.
Episode 7 - Live Recording from the Traverse
What have been the most remarkable Scottish plays of the last decade? How hard is it to produce new drama right now? And what can be done about it? All this and more is explored by the critic Mark Fisher, the playwrights Isla Cowan and Nicola McCartney, and Traverse Theatre Artistic Director, Gareth Nicholls.
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