PANEL 41    The Thrie Estaitis

Written by Sir David Lyndsay, this satire on the three estates of Scotland – the clergy, the nobility and the burgesses – was first performed in the open air outside Cupar in 1552. In essence an attack on these interest groups, the play was written against a background of rising tension in Scotland as the Reformation developed momentum. The Scots language used by Lyndsay is often ripe and the text contains what may be the first appearance of the word ‘fuck’. It is a robust piece in another sense because its form still entertains – a production of The Thrie Estaitis formed the dramatic centrepiece of the 1948 Edinburgh Festival and it was adapted in 1996 by John McGrath who cast Sylvester McCoy in a major role.

 

Panel stitched by:

The Schroders

Lynne Schroder

Jim Schroder

Stitched in:

Callander