The Stornoway production is based around a doll's house

They took place in a variety of unusual locations to reinforce the idea that it is a theatre company without a single, fixed building.

The productions were all inspired by the idea of Home.

The venues ranged from a glass factory in Caithness to a tower block in Glasgow and a Shetland ferry.

Long campaign

Only one of the productions - Home Edinburgh - has ended up in a conventional setting after being refused permission to perform in the Scottish Parliament.

The piece, based on children's views of politicians, was performed in the capital's Queens Hall.

It has been a long campaign to establish a National Theatre of Scotland (NTS), the country's first since 1947, so a lot rested on opening night.

The productions took place in Aberdeen, Caithness, Dumfries, Dundee, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Shetland and Stornoway.

They were each created by a Scottish director and involved high-profile Scottish performers and local community arts groups.

We are not trying to get all five million people in Scotland to come and see every piece of our work Vicky Featherstone NTS director

The Caithness production saw director Matthew Lenton stage his play in the disused factory at the Caithness Glass and Visitor Centre.

Home Inverness took place in the Arts in Motion Creation Centre in Evanton.

The most northerly of the productions, Home Shetland, was aboard a ferry docked in Lerwick.

Home Stornoway saw the entire production being based around a doll's house.

Different audiences

And director Kenny Miller took visitors to the McManus Galleries in Dundee.

The director of the new National Theatre of Scotland Vicky Featherstone was appointed in July 2004.

She said the NTS had to appeal to different audiences with a range of work.

"We are not trying to get all five million people in Scotland to come and see every piece of our work," she said.