Scottish Community Drama Association

Amateur theatre companies in Scotland have generally presented repertoire in English, Lowland Scots and, more occasionally, Scottish Gaelic.

as a consequence, most of Scotland's ground-breaking mid-twentieth century native actors, such as Duncan Macrae, Roddy McMillan or Molly Urquhart, first developed their skills and methods through performance with the more innovative non-professional companies listed above.

Similarly, native playwrights who wished to present authentic representations of Scottish life on the stage, such as Joe Corrie, Robert McLellan, John Brandane, Ena Lamont Stewart and others, first came to attention generally through amateur productions of their plays.

Lowland Scots playwrights in particular were well served by non-professional theatre at a time when voicing for professional actors in Britain was dictated by received pronunciation.

After the introduction of television during the 1950s, the number of amateur companies in Scotland, in common with the situation elsewhere, began to decline from its peak in the 1940s, but it still remains a vigorous part of Scottish cultural life.