John (Peter) McGrath

Playwright and theatre director, born in Birkenhead, Merseyside, NW England, UK. Between 1958 and 1961 he was a television director with the BBC, and wrote scripts for Z Cars. He founded the 7:84 Theatre Company in 1971, and was their artistic director until 1988. His many popular political plays include Fish in the Sea (1975), Yobbo Nowt (1978), and Swings and Roundabouts (1981). Later works include: John Brown's Body (1990), Watching for Dolphins (1991), The Wicked Old Man (1992), and The Last of the MacEachans (1996).

John Peter McGrath, (June 1, 1935 – January 22, 2002), was a Liverpudlian-Irish playwright who grew up in Wales and notably took up the cause of Scottish independence in his plays. The play blends the modern sensibilities of theatre with folk performance, slipping into techniques that are usually reserved for pantomime, encouraging the audience to vocally respond, by joining the choruses of various songs and in one scene warning a character of impending danger. Actors also take on multiple roles, and slip out of character to explain the ramifications of the action to the audience. The title refers to the clearing of the Scottish highlands to make way for grazing land, the subsequent use of this land by the wealthy for shooting, and its current exploitation in the oil market.