Gareth Southgate will be portrayed by Joseph Fiennes in a new drama about the pressure of penalties at the National Theatre.
According to author James Graham, Dear England will emphasize Southgate’s “gentle revolution” in the team’s culture.
It is inspired by Southgate’s voyage since his infamous penalty miss for England in 1996. And how he has contributed to the evolution of masculine ideals.
Graham intends to investigate “the identity of a football team and a nation.”
The award-winning author told, “I believe what has happened to the men’s England football team over the past six years has been quietly extraordinary.”
Gareth’s quiet revolution has been percolating in the background for a while, but we’re just beginning to grasp its significance.
Shakespeare’s play
Graham stated that Southgate assumed the position when the England team was at its “absolute lowest ebb” in 2016, amid an “existential crisis about why we’d lost our way” and the Brexit vote.
With the assistance of psychologist Pippa Grange, the new manager began to “ask big questions about identity” and how his players could liberate themselves of the burdens of the past, particularly England’s terrible record in penalty shootouts.
“What makes it Shakespearean is undoubtedly his missed penalty in Euro 1996. When he felt the full weight of history, pressure, and expectations,” the author said.
Twenty-two years later, he breaks England’s penalty curse to win their first World Cup spot shootout.
Graham added that Dear England, which takes its name from an open letter written by Southgate to England supporters in 2021, will also address “ghosts and demons” from the recent past, including the racist abuse endured by England players who missed penalties at Euro 2020.
In June, the drama will premiere at the National’s Olivier Theatre.
While the roles of players such as Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane have yet to be cast. The producers have recruited an international superstar in the form of Fiennes.
