Pastoral Comedy: the Performance History of Allan Ramsay’s The Gentle Shepherd

In the performance history of Allan Ramsay’s The Gentle Shepherd, adapting, condensing, and even performing single scenes and songs is a relatively common occurrence, and is one of the reasons why the pastoral comedy remained in the performance repertory long into late nineteenth century. Ramsay himself started this tradition, when he adapted the play into a ballad opera, demonstrating that the material could be changed to suit a different format, and that he, as the author, was open to such changes. The talk will showcase how The Gentle Shepherd emerged as one of the most celebrated and influential of eighteenth-century Scottish dramas and will show that the key to its success was its adaptability.