A musical drama by John McGrath, 'The Cheviot' drew on recent research into Highland history, on Gaelic song, and on variety and popular entertainment.
McGrath called it 'a ceilidh play'. As 'a good night out', it tells the story of the exploitation of the Highlands, from 1746 to the 1973 oil boom. 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.
The play also tells the stories of local resistance.
First reading at the 'What kind of Scotland?' conference, Edinburgh, 31 March 1973. First performance at Aberdeen Arts Centre, 24 April 1973.
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