Lanark 1982 an unofficial Alasdair Gray website Working Legs (1997)

In 1996, Gray was asked to write a play for Birds of Paradise, a professional theatre company providing professional drama training for people with physical disabilities. He had not written a new play since 1978, but enthusiastically threw himself into the project. Inside the book are portraits of the cast, both at the front and dotted through the text at scene-ends. At the end is a 5-page description of 'How This Play Got Written'. The play is about Able McMann's travails after a near-fatal road accident condemns him to being able to walk about in a world where the majority of people get around comfortably in wheelchairs.

The play was premiered at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre in June 1998. The publicity of working with Gray helped when applying for grants from the Glasgow City and Scottish Arts Councils. These grants allowed the company to engage with 45 other drama groups across Scotland, which catered for people with a variety of disabilities whilst also containing people without them. Most of these groups were rehearsing Working Legs, but the grants also allowed them to commision another play from Scottish writer Archie Hind.

The performing rights for the play are protected and are the property of Birds of Paradise Theatre Company. Application to perform it should be directed to them, not to Alasdair Gray.