There has always been a fine tradition of political theatre in Scotland: 7:84 were defined by their immediate political satire, while David Greig has suggested that both the "democratic intellect" of Scotland and the enthusiasm for vaudeville has made audiences north of the border more responsive to a more engaged performance. But even given the richness of a past that includes works by Wildcat and Peter Arnott's Poll Tax Musical, the current fashion for using theatre as a vehicle for discussing Big Ideas is a heartening counter-blast to the apathy often generated by the sight of politicians struggling for a sound bite or photo-op.
Glasgow Girls is a prime example of how theatre, even in its most populist or well-worn modes, can bring a subject to life. The resistance by school-children towards the dawn raids inflicted on asylum seekers in the early part of the twenty-first century was already the topic of a documentary - and won the students an award in 2005 - but Cora Bisset, along with David Greig as writer, has reanimated the story through a lively musical.
The musical does have its roots in the tradition of 7:84's cabaret style: the fourth wall is repeatedly broken, the conventions of theatre are revealed and parodied. Yet Glasgow Girls manipulates structure, characterisation and format not just to entertain.It carries the message of the campaign - literally, that asylum seekers are our neighbours and not unwanted aliens and more expansively, that the communities of Glasgow are resilient and resistant to unfair powers - concisely, allowing different versions of the events to compete and build a foundation for further discussion.
There are a series of careful balances throughout the musical, and in the tension between these, Glasgow Girls demonstrates a method of effectively developing a theatre that is fun and serious.
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