Plays and Playwrighting

This chapter on post-devolutionary Scottish drama outlines the ways in which the resurgence of Scottish playwriting has been accompanied by an aesthetic renewal, integrating forms drawn from cabaret and popular culture, as well as the poetic traditions of Gaelic culture and the more overtly political and didactic traditions that had animated Scottish theatre in the 1970s. Major post-devolutionary plays by established playwrights such as Peter Arnott, Gregory Burke, Jo Clifford, David Greig, Rona Munro and Anthony Neilson, are discussed alongside those of a newer generation including Henry Adam, Rob Drummond, Zinnie Harris, Gary McNair, Stef Smith, Kieran Hurley and Morna Pearson.