Political Culture and Theatre: Theatre has always had a strong relationship with politics. How was the 2014 Independence Referendum influential in shaping that relationship in Scotland in recent years?

Abstract

This dissertation desires to explore the relationship between theatre and politics, focusing heavily on if and how it was affected by the 2014 independence referendum, what the outcome of this political event had on the writings of theatre practitioners and an audience and to highlight how influential the referendum was in shaping that relationship in Scotland in recent years. Disputably, every performance, whether it be theatre or any other creative art from is political as it will reflect politics directly, indirectly and socially. The research is supported by literature and academic professionals and by six semi-structured interviews from individuals within the creative industry to widen the data. The methodology employed is the notion of grounded theory. It can be concluded that there is an always developing relationship between theatre and politics. The independence referendum extended beyond theatre and political influence but there will always be room for further research avenues.