The National Theatre’s Olivier Award-winning Dear England transfers the high drama of football management from the touchline to the stage - telling the story of Sir Gareth Southgate’s tenure as England boss. Capturing the palpable excitement of the sport -  and with more than a few recognisable caricatures thrown into the mix - it also highlights the pressures faced by players when the eyes of the nation are fixed upon them... What’s On sat down with David Sturzaker - who plays Sir Gareth in the show - and fellow cast members Samantha Womack and Jayden Hanley to find out more…

James Graham’s Olivier Award-winning play, Dear England, explores ex-Aston Villa captain Sir Gareth Southgate’s time as manager of the England football team, an eight-year period during which he broke the mould set by previous managers and brought his focus to the squad’s mental wellbeing - replacing conflict with camaraderie.

The show references the weight of responsibility and disappointment Southgate felt as a player following his infamous penalty miss against Germany in the 1996 Euros semi-final. When he steps into the breach as England’s manager some 20 years later, he strives to remove that pressure from his squad and bring back the joy of the game.

Sir Gareth is played by David Sturzaker in the currently touring National Theatre production. So how has David approached the challenge of portraying such a well-known contemporary figure?

“I was having a preliminary chat with the director,” he says, “and she gave me a bit of advice - to think of it as if I’m playing the character as written by James Graham in the play, not the real Gareth Southgate. That sounds like it’s splitting hairs, but for me it’s been so important… And of course, with that, there’s all the very helpful resources that you can draw on - endless interviews, press conferences, images of Gareth at the touchline, during matches or training...”

In contrast to David’s carefully choreographed character study, former EastEnders favourite Samantha Womack  brings life to a figure who is central to the story but, unlike many of the people on stage, not a household name.

“I play Pippa Grange,” she says, “who was brought on board by Gareth Southgate to be a performance psychologist for the players. She says she’s more of a ‘culture coach’, and she helps the players overcome issues to do with fear and shame, finding joy in the game.”

With a well-known cast of characters and a subject that has a broad appeal (Eng-er-land!) it’s no surprise that the play has scored a hit with audiences.

“It’s already had these very successful runs at the National Theatre and in the West End,” says David.

“Yes, it uses football as a framework, but it’s actually about far more universal things than that. It’s about overcoming adversity, it’s about mental health, it’s about racism, it’s about national identity. I think it’s about people surprising themselves and surprising others - how, working as a team, you can achieve so much.”
The production has also found an appreciative audience with a younger demographic.

“I’m very moved by the fact that the young adults who are watching it are fiercely attentive,” says Samantha. “It’s what theatre is designed for, I suppose - to provoke thought, to challenge what’s going on, but to do it in a way that unites rather than divides. I look at these youngsters, with James Graham’s writing, and they are the future of theatre goers. They are so involved in what we’re doing and saying. To bring new theatre, particularly straight drama, to visiting theatres around the country - I’m more passionate about that than anything else.”

“We’ve heard from quite a few places that there are people [coming to see the show] who have never stepped into the theatre before,” adds David. “And if those people can leave thinking that they might come back to see something else, for us that would be magic.”

The powerful message of the play - that the young men in the England team benefit from being supported emotionally, as well as from a disciplined approach and being pushed to their physical limits - has also extended to camaraderie among the cast.

“Most of them are my son’s age,” says Samantha. “I have a real pride in their performances, but also the way that they carry themselves as young men. They’re an incredibly supportive cast towards each other. We’ve done workshops about trust and vulnerability, and it’s been really interesting to see them explore those themes. I think that’s part of the success of the play - we’ve united ourselves as a team.”

One of that ‘team’ will be making a triumphant return to Birmingham when the production visits the Hippodrome this month. Brummie born-and-bred Jayden Hanley appears as Manchester United player Marcus Rashford. For Jayden and his cast-mates, Dear England is no walk in the park - they fill the stage with finely tuned training exercises and pre-match warm-ups worthy of Wembley.

“It’s such a physically demanding play,” says Jayden. “It’s a lot, but everyone’s supporting each other and helping… The movement director has been brilliant and really got it out of us. I didn’t think I could do it - I didn’t think I could remember all the counts, but he was so patient with us all, getting us all on the same wavelength. Everyone’s so patient with each other.”

Rashford has made a name for himself not only on the pitch but through charity work - using his platform to combat food poverty, in the face of prejudice.

“A lot of the time with Black footballers, you get negative publicity, negative press,” says Jayden. “But despite all that, he’s managed to be an icon to a lot of people. He’s been able to make a difference in the world, which is something that’s hard to do, not only as a young Black man but just as a person of interest - being a good role model.”

Jayden grew up in Birmingham’s Yardley Wood, and while he’s familiar with the Hippodrome, he’s never appeared on its stage before.

“This will be my first time, which I’m really excited for. I’m a big musical theatre fan, so whenever the musicals go on tour, I see them there. The fondest memory I’ve got of the Hippodrome is my sister being in Les Miserables when it toured there. She played Little Cosette, and she had a little solo on stage. I went and sat with my mum and watched it - it was the proudest day of my life. But I’m so excited to get to perform in Birmingham, at the Hippodrome and on that stage - it makes it so much more special.

“Also, I’m a huge Birmingham City fan,” adds Jayden. “I’ve got a season ticket. Every time I’m home, I make sure I can go to the games. I’ve supported Birmingham for as long as I can remember. Football is my escape; it’s where I go to forget about everything.”

While it might be a strain for a Blues fan to play the part of a footballer who spent a few months at Villa Park - Rashford was on loan there last season - Jayden’s passion for the sport, combined with his passion for the theatre, is what Dear England is all about.

“It’s weird! Obviously Rashford had a little stint at the club down the road… I won’t mention names! But it’s so good to be able to perform in Birmingham. I know who I am, and I know what the team in Birmingham is - Blues is the club!”

Dear England shows at Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 10 to Saturday 14 March.

By Jessica Clixby