Introduction

This introduction provides context for the succeeding chapters by outlining the key events, contexts and pressures—political, social, economic and cultural—that have shaped the contemporary Scottish performance sector and contributed to its developing sense of confidence and distinctiveness. Key moments such as the failure of the devolution referendum in 1979 and the success of the subsequent referendum in 1997, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the war on terror and the economic crisis of 2008 are discussed. Devolution is seen as the most significant factor in shaping the cultural life of contemporary Scotland. A number of these issues will be reflected and inflected through discussions of David Greig’s Caledonia Dreaming (1997) and Lanark (2015) which bracket the chapter.