ANDREW John Tait shakes his head in disappointment. He’s disappointed in himself as it happens, for not realising something dark and devilish about the city in which he lives.

Glasgow, he has come to learn, didn’t come to be the Second City of the Empire simply because its citizens showed remarkable engineering skills, a willingness to graft and an uncrushable spirit.

Glasgow’s wealth, its opulence, its mansions and much of its architectural glory was predicated upon misery.

The great buildings in streets such as Ingram Street were built on the backs of slavery.

“I am ashamed to say that I didn’t really have much of a clue about Scotland’s involvement in slavery until I read the script for this play,” he says of Alan Bissett’s new Oran Mor Play, It Wisnae Me.

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“You can see the beautiful architecture, the ostentatious wealth of Glasgow’s City Chambers for example. It’s dripping with money. And of course this money came from the slave trade.”

It Wisnae Me is based upon a book called It Wisnae Us, by Stephen Mullen.

“The play reveals how Scotland’s role in slavery has been conveniently swept under the carpet. I certainly was never taught about it in school.

“We were all aware the slave trade existed but Scotland, for a long time, has managed to deny culpability.”

Bisset’s play is framed by having an English accuser, George (Tait) appear at different times over history to smack Scotland (Jock, played by Ali Watt), hard in the face with stark, glaring truth.

The black characters are played by Danielle Jam. “What George is trying to do is get Scotland to accept its guilt.”

The time frame? “Well, it’s the dawn of time, says Tait, “and there isn’t a particular location.”

OK, but Scotland’s colonial involvement really began in the 18th century. Why do we go back to when we were apes to kick off the story of slavery? “I think what Alan is trying to establish is that we all evolved from the same species, yet we were capable of treating one group of people in a terrible way.”

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The setting moves on to imperial Britain and to a modern-day interrogation room, while all the time pushing Scotland to accept the consequences of its actions.

Tait, who appeared in a previous Alan Bisset play at Oran Mor, the Pink Floyd story One Thinks Of It All As A Dream (he played Roger Waters) struggled to grasp the enormity of Scotland’s involvement in the slave trade.

“It was hard to come to terms with the number of Scottish ships which sailed from Scottish ports and seized thousands and thousands of slaves, including women and children.

“We’ve all see the movies but somehow we haven’t the attached the horror to ourselves.

“The Glasgow tobacco lords are mentioned – Oswald, Glassford, Buchanan, Ingram, and we can walk their streets – but I had no idea where the money to create them came from.

“The plantations, the sugar processing plants were all in operation before the Act of Union came into being.”

The play also references Robert Burns near involvement in the business of slavery. “He was so close to going to work on a slave plantation. Only a last-minute success kept him here.”

The actor, who grew up near Perth adds: “Hopefully this play will provide an eye-opening experience for an audience, but also an enjoyable one. The point of a play, after all, is to entertain.”

After graduating, Tait moved to England in 2006 where he worked fairly consistently.

In more recent years, acting has taken a back seat to his role as parent, looking after his young son. Now he’s delighted to back in theatre.

But there was another surprise which came Tait’s way in being casting in the role of George. “Alan Bissett said when he was writing the play he thought of me for the part of the Englishman. This has come after he thought of me as Roger Waters.”

He grins; “I don’t think I look particularly English, given I’m a Scotsman. But I’m so glad he did. It’s a great play to be involved with. It’s certainly opened my eyes.”

It Wisnae Me, Oran Mor, Glasgow, until Saturday.