Rehearsal images have been unveiled for the National Theatre’s eagerly awaited tour of Dear England, James Graham’s Olivier Award-winning play.
Following a record-breaking West End run in 2023, Dear England will tour 16 venues across England from 15 September 2025 to March 2026, in a co-production with JAS Theatricals.
David Sturzaker stars as England manager Gareth Southgate, with Samantha Womack playing team psychologist Pippa Grange. The cast also includes Jake Ashton-Nelson, Luke Azille, Ian Bartholomew, Jass Beki, Ashley Byam, Steven Dykes, Courtney George, Oscar Gough, Jayden Hanley, Connor Hawker, Miles Henderson, Tom Lane, Ian Kirkby, Jack Maddison, Liam Prince-Donnelly, and George Rainsford. Ensemble members include Stuart Ash, Natalie Boakye, Ebube Chukwuma, Sam Craig, and Alex Wadham.
Dear England is written by James Graham (Punch, Sherwood) and directed by Rupert Goold (Patriots, Ink), with set design by Es Devlin.
“It’s time to change the game,” reads the show’s tagline. The play explores Southgate’s transformative leadership and the emotional journey of the England men’s football team.
The tour opens at Theatre Royal Plymouth (15–20 September), before visiting Nottingham, Canterbury, Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle, Chichester, Southampton, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Norwich, Woking, Bradford, Wimbledon, Liverpool, and Birmingham.
The wider creative team includes Evie Gurney (costume), Jon Clark (lighting), Ellen Kane and Hannes Langolf (movement), Ash J Woodward (video), Dan Balfour and Tom Gibbons (sound), and Max Perryment (additional music).
The tour will also feature a year-long schools engagement programme inspired by Southgate’s 2021 open letter, aiming to reach over 10,000 young people across England.
Originally commissioned by the National Theatre, Dear England premiered in June 2023 and transferred to the West End, later being released via National Theatre Live and adapted into a BBC drama.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
