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Dear England
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Dear England
Dear England is a play about England football manager Gareth Southgate, the pressures of elite sport, and the role of the national men's football team in the national psyche. The play explores how Southgate helped to change notions of masculinity on the England team. Written by James Graham, it opened in June 2023 at the National Theatre in London starring Joseph Fiennes and directed by Rupert Goold. The title of the play comes from the open letter Southgate wrote to England fans in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The play won the 2024 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best New Play and Will Close won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play for his portrayal of Harry Kane.
Playwright James Graham said after the England men lost the UEFA Euro 2024 final to Spain that he would rewrite the ending of Dear England to bring it up to date.
The play follows the England men's football team under Gareth Southgate in the run-up to, and aftermath of, three tournaments: its unexpected run to the semifinals at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, its disappointing defeat in the 2020 European Championship final at Wembley Stadium, and its quarterfinal exit from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The first act opens with a flashback to young Southgate as he misses a penalty at the 1996 Euro semifinals, causing England to be knocked out of the competition. In the next scene, Southgate is announced as the new caretaker manager for the England national men's football team, as members of the public – including builders, barristers, and YouTubers – react. As manager, he proceeds to select his squad, including Harry Kane, Harry Maguire, and Marcus Rashford. Southgate brings in psychologist Pippa Grange to assist with training sessions, encouraging players to face their fears by keeping journals and talking about them.
The second act focuses on emotional drama as the players develop under Southgate's leadership and take nerve-wracking penalties. The play also touches on racist abuse experienced by black players on the England team following their loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 final in 2021. It ends with Harry Kane missing a penalty and England getting knocked out of the 2022 World Cup, but with Kane receiving the support from his teammates that Southgate himself had not received as a player.
The play's many comical caricatures include former England managers Sven-Göran Eriksson, Graham Taylor, and Fabio Capello; former players and commentators Gary Lineker and Matt Le Tissier; and British prime ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss.
The play uses popular music associated with the England teams in the 90s era and Southgate era including:
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Dear England
Dear England is a play about England football manager Gareth Southgate, the pressures of elite sport, and the role of the national men's football team in the national psyche. The play explores how Southgate helped to change notions of masculinity on the England team. Written by James Graham, it opened in June 2023 at the National Theatre in London starring Joseph Fiennes and directed by Rupert Goold. The title of the play comes from the open letter Southgate wrote to England fans in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The play won the 2024 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best New Play and Will Close won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play for his portrayal of Harry Kane.
Playwright James Graham said after the England men lost the UEFA Euro 2024 final to Spain that he would rewrite the ending of Dear England to bring it up to date.
The play follows the England men's football team under Gareth Southgate in the run-up to, and aftermath of, three tournaments: its unexpected run to the semifinals at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, its disappointing defeat in the 2020 European Championship final at Wembley Stadium, and its quarterfinal exit from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The first act opens with a flashback to young Southgate as he misses a penalty at the 1996 Euro semifinals, causing England to be knocked out of the competition. In the next scene, Southgate is announced as the new caretaker manager for the England national men's football team, as members of the public – including builders, barristers, and YouTubers – react. As manager, he proceeds to select his squad, including Harry Kane, Harry Maguire, and Marcus Rashford. Southgate brings in psychologist Pippa Grange to assist with training sessions, encouraging players to face their fears by keeping journals and talking about them.
The second act focuses on emotional drama as the players develop under Southgate's leadership and take nerve-wracking penalties. The play also touches on racist abuse experienced by black players on the England team following their loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 final in 2021. It ends with Harry Kane missing a penalty and England getting knocked out of the 2022 World Cup, but with Kane receiving the support from his teammates that Southgate himself had not received as a player.
The play's many comical caricatures include former England managers Sven-Göran Eriksson, Graham Taylor, and Fabio Capello; former players and commentators Gary Lineker and Matt Le Tissier; and British prime ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss.
The play uses popular music associated with the England teams in the 90s era and Southgate era including: