Religion and Scottish Drama

Join Greg Walker and Randall Stevenson, the editors of the new ‘Oxford Handbook of Scottish Theatre’ (OUP 2025), as they discuss the unique and fascinating relationship between religion and Scottish drama with two literary legends, Linda McLean and Donald Smith. The handbook traces Scottish drama from its earliest folk plays to the present day across the Gaelic, Scots and English languages, focusing on pivotal moments in Scottish, European and world history and the ways in which performances of all kinds responded to them. This new handbook also highlights efforts made over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries to amplify the voices of working-class, LGBTQ+ and other minoritized communities in Scottish theatre. Come and celebrate the publication of this fantastic new book and its contribution to the broader field of religion and literature in Scotland. And join us afterwards for drinks and nibbles in the Rainy Hall, sponsored by the Scottish Network for Religion and Literature. 

Greg Walker 

Greg Walker is Regius Chair of Rhetoric and English Literature at the University of Edinburgh. He writes on the literature and drama of the medieval-to-Renaissance period in England and Scotland. His most recent books are ‘John Heywood: Comedy and Survival in Tudor England’ (OUP, 2020) and ‘The Oxford Handbook of Scottish Theatre’, co-edited with Randall Stevenson (OUP, 2025). With Thomas Betteridge, Eleanor Rycroft, and the theatre director Gregory Thompson, he was responsible for the production of Lyndsay’s ‘Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis’ at Linlithgow Palace in 2013. He is a fellow of The English Association, The Royal Historical Society, and The Royal Society of Edinburgh, and is currently chairing The Arts and Humanities Panel for the UK Research Excellence Framework evaluation (REF2029). 

Randall Stevenson 

Randall Stevenson is Emeritus Professor of Twentieth-Century Literature in the department of Literatures, Languages and Cultures at the University of Edinburgh. His recent books include ‘Reading the Times: Temporality and History in Twentieth-Century Fiction’ (Edinburgh University Press, 2018), and ‘The Oxford Handbook of Scottish Theatre’ (Oxford University Press, 2025), edited with Greg Walker. 

Linda McLean 

Linda McLean is a Scottish playwright based in Glasgow. Her plays include ‘Glory on Earth’, ‘Every Five Minutes’, ‘What Love Is’, ‘Any Given Day’, ‘Sex & God’, ‘strangers’, ‘babies’, ‘Shimmer’, ‘Riddance’, ‘One Good Beating’, ‘Thingummy Bob’, an adaptation of Alice Munro’s ‘The View From Castle Rock’, ‘Go On’, a response to Beckett’s Last Tape, and ‘Castle Lennox’, which won The Hector McMillan prize for Best Scottish Play 2023. She is currently writing ‘The Ferry’ for Dundee Rep, the Tron and English Touring Theatre, an adaptation of Denise Mina’s ‘The Long Drop’ for the Citizens Theatre, and ‘Over the Fence’ for Magnetic North. Linda was the Creative Fellow at IASH in 2011, Chair of the Playwrights’ Studio from 2008–2015, and an artistic associate of Magic Theatre, San Francisco from 2012-2014. A French anthology of her work, translated by Sarah Vermande and Blandine Pelissiér, was published in 2015 by Actes Sud-Papiers. She is an ardent crocheter and board game player. And an excellent cook.  

Chair: Donald Smith  

Donald Smith is a storyteller and author. Director of The Netherbow Theatre and Founder of the Scottish Storytelling Centre, he also led the transition to establish The National Theatre of Scotland. He is a contributor to ‘The Oxford Handbook’ and Director of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. Donald has a special interest in the relationship between religion and culture reflected in publications including ‘Freedom and Faith’, a ‘Pilgrim Guide to Scotland and God’, ‘The Poet’ and ‘The Devil’. 

Venue information

In line with fire safety regulations attendees using a wheelchair must be able to self-transfer to an evac chair in order to safely evacuate the building.

This venue is fully accessible however, if you require disabled access, please email divinity.news@ed.ac.uk so that we can ensure we accommodate this.