The starting point for the research on which this thesis is based was an investigation of the widening gap between Scots civil society and the British state under Thatcherism, and of how that might be focused through political theatres. This coincided with a concern to locate Scottish theatre within its own context, rather than regarding it as something merely peripheral or subsidiary to the conventional Anglo-centric model. In the light of the existing works on Scottish theatres, it was decided that the most appropriate way to achieve this would be through a series of case studies. This thesis is thus one of the first attempts at a detailed analysis of contemporary theatre in Scotland.