Dear England to embark on tour

Olivier Award-winning play Dear England will kick off a new tour this autumn.

James Graham’s piece, about Gareth Southgate’s multi-year vision for the England men’s football team, first premiered at the National Theatre in the summer of 2023 before transferring to the West End.

It is already scheduled to return to the National next month, ahead of a four-week season at the Lowry in Salford. A TV adaptation is also in the works.

Graham described the tour news as “winning the treble” following the National and West End runs, adding: “As someone from a community that had limited access to culture growing up, I’m especially aware of how vital it is to share work of such a scale beyond the capital. And as a lifelong theatre and England fan, the chance to tell a story about the beautiful game and through the prism of Gareth Southgate’s transformative term has been a privilege.

“I think he has been a remarkable leader, and it fills me with great excitement and joy that we get to share Rupert’s euphoric and entertaining production, with all its incredible movement and music, once more with audiences around the country.”

The new tour will have its first fixture at Plymouth Theatre Royal on 15 September, before heading to Nottingham Theatre Royal (23 to 27 September), Marlowe, Canterbury (7 to 18 October), Sheffield Lyceum (21 to 25 October), Leeds Grand Theatre (4 to 8 November), Theatre Royal Newcastle (11 to 15 November), Chichester Festival Theatre (20 to 29 November) and in 2026, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (13 to 17 January), Milton Keynes Theatre (20 to 24 January), New Theatre, Oxford (27 to 31 January), Norwich Theatre Royal (3 to 7 February), New Victoria Theatre, Woking (10 to 14 February), Alhambra Theatre, Bradford (17 to 21 February), New Wimbledon Theatre (24 to 28 February), Liverpool Empire (3 to 7 March) and Birmingham Hippodrome (10 to 14 March).

Directed by Rupert Goold, the show’s creative team includes set designer Es Devlin, 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. Casting for the tour is to be announced.

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