BackgroundBackground

Tally’s Blood reflects aspects of the author’s own experiences and social, cultural and political contexts relating to Glasgow and the Italian immigrant experience in Scotland.

Part of EnglishTally's Blood

Background

Tally’s Blood is a Scottish drama written by Ann Marie Di Mambro. It was first performed in 1990 at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, where Di Mambro was a writer in residence.

Tally is slang for Italian and the title refers to both Italian blood and to the raspberry sauce they put on ice-cream.

The play is set in Scotland and Italy and spans nineteen years, from 1936 to 1955. It explores are range of social and historical contexts:

  • Poverty in Glasgow
  • Family planning and birth control
  • Italian immigrants in Scotland
  • World War Two