The cheviot, the stag and the black, black oil
By: John McGrath
Edition: Rev., ill. ed.
Series: Methuen modern plays; Methuen modern plays
Publisher: Eyre Methuen
Published: 1981
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Format: [electronic resource] /
Number of pages: 82
Subjects: Drama; Social conditions
Description: First produced by 7:84 (Scotland) Theatre Company in Aberdeen in 1973, McGrath's play drew on recent research into Highland history, on Gaelic song and the ceilidh tradition, and on the Scots' love of variety and popular entertainment to create something quite new. This 'ceilidh play' tells the story of the exploitation of the Highlands, from 1746 to the (1973) present. The post-Rebellion suppression of the clans, the Clearances, the shooting estates and the oil boom are all dramatised through a mix of quotation from original documents, reportage, Gaelic language and song, music and broad comedy.