Artspod Review
You know how you felt when we lost on the Euros final……and how fantastic we felt when we won matches to get through to the semi and the final – even on penalties…..the hope and dreams that Gareth Southgate gave us…….well you live it all-over again at the theatre show Dear England just embarking on a National Tour.
James Graham has written a storyline around the whole of Southgates time as England manager with pokes of fun at Big Sam, Sven, Fabio and even Thomas Tuchel. You believe in the players, you believe in the matches, you believe in Gareth Southgate who is excellently portrayed by David Sturzaker with all the mannerisms to make you wonder just how long has he spent watching Gareth videos. You believe in Gary Lineker – a voice that Ian Kirkby has got off to a tee (apt for Gary as he is a bit of a golfer).
And the music not only reminds you of the actual moments, the matches, the dreams but also whips you up again into a frenzy where the entire audience on a midweek night in the East Midlands stand and sing Sweet Caroline at the top of their voices as well as screaming the lyrics to ‘Nah Nah Nah……we’re going to score one more than you’ and the now almost religious ‘Three Lions On The Shirt’.
This show pulls in the theatre crowd as well as a whole lot of brand new audiences to live theatre – and they have a great time. They all finish the show as if we did win the Euros.
Go and see Dear England at the Theatre Royal Nottingham or on tour at one of these venues Dear England Tour and Tickets and you will not be disappointed.
Dear England. Following a record-breaking run in the West End in 2023, James Graham’s Olivier Award-winning play is now on tour, visiting 16 venues across England, in a co production with Josh Andrews and Stuart Galbraith for JAS Theatricals. Launching this week
at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, football and non-football fans alike will be brought to their feet for this inspiring, at times heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting story of Gareth Southgate’s revolutionary tenure as England manager.
Heading the cast in ‘the decade’s biggest theatrical triumph’ (★★★★ Daily Telegraph) is David Sturzaker as England manager Gareth Southgate, with EastEnders and Mount Pleasant actress Samantha Womack playing the role of team psychologist Pippa Grange. The cast also includes Jake Ashton-Nelson as Jordan Henderson, Luke Azille as Jadon Sancho, Ian Bartholomew as Greg Dyke, Jass Beki as Bukayo Saka, Ashley Byam as Raheem Sterling, Steven Dykes as Sam Allardyce, Courtney George as Alex Scott, Oscar Gough as Harry Kane, Jayden Hanley as Marcus Rashford, Connor Hawker as Harry Maguire, Tom Lane as Eric Dier Ian Kirkby as Gary Lineker, Jack Maddison as Jordan Pickford, Liam Prince-Donnelly as Dele Alli, and George Rainsford as Mike Webster. Stuart Ash, Natalie Boakye, Ebube Chukwuma, Sam Craig, Miles Henderson and Alex Wadham complete the company. The cast are also playing additional roles as part of the ensemble.
Dear England is written by the multi-award-winning stage and screen writer, James Graham (Punch, West End; Sherwood, BBC One), directed by the Almeida Theatre’s Artistic Director Rupert Goold (Patriots, Ink; Almeida Theatre/West End/Broadway) with set design by Es Devlin (Beyonce’s Renaissance, World Tour; The Lehman Trilogy, National Theatre).
It’s time to change the game. The country that gave the world football has since delivered a painful pattern of loss. The England men’s team has the worst track record for penalties in the world, and manager Gareth Southgate knows he needs to open his mind and face up to the years of hurt to take team and country back to the promised land.
Dear England is ‘gripping, moving and funny…as good as theatre gets’ (★★★★ The Sunday Times). It is at the Theatre Royal Plymouth until 20 September, and then tour to Nottingham Theatre Royal (23 – 27 September), The Marlowe, Canterbury (7 – 18 October), Sheffield Lyceum (21 – 25 October), Leeds Grand Theatre (4 – 8 November), Theatre Royal Newcastle (11 – 15 November), Chichester Festival Theatre (20 – 29 November), Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (13 – 17 January), Milton Keynes Theatre (20 – 24 January), New Theatre, Oxford (27 – 31 January), Norwich Theatre Royal (3 – 7 February), New Victoria
Theatre, Woking (10 – 14 February), The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford (17 – 21 February), New Wimbledon Theatre (24 – 28 February), Liverpool Empire (3 – 7 March) and Birmingham Hippodrome (10 – 14 March).
The wider creative team for Dear England includes costume designer, Evie Gurney; lighting designer, Jon Clark; co-movement directors, Ellen Kane and Hannes Langolf; video designer, Ash J Woodward; co-sound designers, Dan Balfour and Tom Gibbons, with additional music by Max Perryment.
They are joined by tour revival director Connie Treves, revival movement director Tom Herron, casting director Bryony Jarvis-Taylor CDG, associate set designer Alice Hallifax, associate lighting designer Ben Jacobs, associate video designer Libby Ward, associate sound designer Johnny Edwards, casting associate Lilly Mackie, and resident director Dan Hutton.
The National Theatre will run a year-long schools engagement programme inspired by Gareth Southgate’s ‘Dear England’ open letter that he wrote to England fans in 2021. This programme, which will prompt young people across the UK to reflect on their own place in history, just as the footballers in Southgate’s squad were encouraged to do, is in response to this year being the 80th anniversary of the Second World War. It will be delivered in schools across England with assemblies and workshops using spoken word and sound design to support students to share the hopes and aspirations they have for themselves and other young people, 80 years from now. The resulting sound archive will form a unique 2025–2026 time capsule. Students will also be invited to see performances of Dear England during the tour. This year-long schools engagement programme is expected to reach over 10,000 young people.
Dear England was originally commissioned by the National Theatre and developed with the theatre’s New Work department. Its world premiere was on 20 June 2023 in the Olivier theatre. Following a sold-out run, Dear England transferred to the Prince Edward Theatre in London’s West End, from 9 October 2023 to 13 January 2024, where it broke box office records. Dear England was subsequently released to cinemas through National Theatre Live on 24 January 2024 and has been screened almost 2,500 times across the UK. In February 2024, the BBC announced it had commissioned a four-part drama of Dear England based on the stage production for BBC One and BBC iPlayer, and it won ‘Best New Play’ at the 2024 Olivier Awards later that year. Dear England returned to the National Theatre in spring 2025, updated to reflect the 2024 UEFA EURO tournament and Gareth Southgate’s final chapter as England
manager. The play had its regional premiere at the Lowry in Salford on 29 May, followed by a 4-week run.
This 2025/2026 national tour of Dear England is a co-production between National Theatre Productions and JAS Theatricals. It has been supported by ‘Incentivising Touring: Repayable Grants for Theatre and Dance’, a pilot scheme developed by Arts Council England to support larger-scale productions to tour to regional venues. Dear England, was amongst the first to receive a share of over £ 2 million as part of the first round of the scheme, which creates the opportunity for more people to see high-quality shows close to where they live.
Assisted performances are available throughout the run at each venue. Check individual venue websites for information and booking details.
Raymond James and Charles Stanley are proud to support the national tour of Dear England.
TOUR SCHEDULE FOR 2025-2026
Theatre Royal Plymouth 15 – 20 September theatreroyal.com
Nottingham Theatre Royal 23 – 27 September trch.co.uk
Marlowe Theatre Canterbury 7 – 18 October marlowetheatre.com
Sheffield Lyceum 21 – 25 October sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/lyceum
Leeds Grand Theatre 4 – 8 November leedsheritagetheatres.com
Newcastle Theatre Royal 11 – 15 November theatreroyal.co.uk
Chichester Festival Theatre 20 – 29 November cft.org.uk
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton 13 – 17 January 2026 mayflower.org.uk
Milton Keynes Theatre 20 – 24 January atgtickets.com/milton-keynes-theatre
New Theatre Oxford 27 – 31 January atgtickets.com/new-theatre-oxford
Norwich Theatre Royal 3 – 7 February norwichtheatre.org
New Victoria Theatre, Woking 10 – 14 February atgtickets.com/new-victoria-theatre
The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford 17 – 21 February bradford-theatres.co.uk/alhambra-theatre
New Wimbledon Theatre 24 – 28 February atgtickets.com/new-wimbledon-theatre
Liverpool Empire 3 – 7 March atgtickets.com/liverpool-empire
Birmingham Hippodrome 10 – 14 March birminghamhippodrome.com
