David MacLennan, who has died aged 65 after suffering from motor neurone disease, was at the heart of Scottish theatre for over 40 years, as an actor, writer and producer. In 1971 he co-founded the influential 7:84 touring company, with his sister, the actor Elizabeth MacLennan, and her husband, the playwright and director John McGrath.
McGrath, who died in 2002, was sympathetic to Scottish independence, though an early 7:84 play, The Game's a Bogey (1974), about the radical politician John MacLean, advocated international socialism with a sly dig at the parochialism in the resurgent Scottish National party. MacLennan had recently come out for the no campaign in the Scottish referendum. He believed in international collaboration and solidarity: "The more borders we can get rid of, the more peaceful the world will be."
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