The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil [Paperback]

Strathoykel, Sutherland. When the Sheriff and his men arrived, the women were on the road and the men behind the walls. The women shouted 'Better to die here than America or the Cape of Good Hope'. The first blow was struck by a woman with a stick. The gentry leant out of their saddles and beat at the women's heads with their crops. (John McGrath)An exuberant Ceilidh play with scenes songs and music of Highland history from the clearances to the oil strike

John McGrathwas born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, in 1935. After national service and Oxford University, he wrote and directed for theatre and television, as well as writing for cinema. Early work includedZ-Carsfor BBC-TV (1962),Events While Guarding the Bofors Gun(1966) and the screenplay forBillion Dollar Brain(1976). In 1971, together with Elizabeth MacLennan, he co-founded the 7:84 Theatre Company, which divided into Scottish and English companies in 1973 with McGrath remaining as Artistic Director of both. During his career McGrath wrote over 60 plays, includingFish in the Sea(1972),The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil(1973),Blood Red Roses(1980),Border Warfare(1989),Watching for Dolphins(1992) and, most recently,HyperLynx(2001). He was twice Visiting Fellow in Theatre at Cambridge University. His previous books includeA Good Night Out(1981),The Bone Won't Break(1990) andSix Pack: Plays for Scotland(1996).

McGrath founded Freeway Films in 1982, for which he produced, amongst others,The Dressmaker(1985),Carrington(1995),Ma Vie en Rose(1997) andAberdeen(2002). He also founded Moonstone International Screen Labs to support and promote independent European filmmaking. He received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both BAFTA (in 1993) and the Writers' Guild of Great Britain (in 1997), as well as Honorary Doctorates from the University of Stirling and the University of LlC;