As the nation continues to celebrate the Lionesses’ historic Euros victory, the National Theatre has revealed further casting for its highly anticipated UK tour of Dear England.
David Sturzaker will lead the cast as England manager Gareth Southgate, with Samantha Womack, known for EastEnders and Mount Pleasant, playing team psychologist Pippa Grange.
Returning cast members include Jass Beki as Bukayo Saka, Courtney George as Alex Scott, Miles Henderson as Ensemble, and Tom Lane as Eric Dier.
New additions to the cast are Jake Ashton-Nelson as Jordan Henderson, Luke Azille as Jadon Sancho, Ian Bartholomew as Greg Dyke, Ashley Byam as Raheem Sterling, Steven Dykes as Sam Allardyce, Oscar Gough as Harry Kane, Jayden Hanley as Marcus Rashford, Connor Hawker as Harry Maguire, Ian Kirkby as Gary Lineker, Jack Maddison as Jordan Pickford, Liam Prince-Donnelly as Dele Alli, and George Rainsford as Mike Webster.
Also joining the company are Stuart Ash, Natalie Boakye, Sam Craig, and Jonathan Markwood, who will perform additional ensemble roles.
Dear England is described as “gripping, moving and funny… as good as theatre gets” (★★★★ The Sunday Times). It tells the inspiring and emotional story of Gareth Southgate’s transformative leadership of the England men’s football team.
The Olivier Award-winning Best New Play, written by James Graham and directed by Rupert Goold, will tour 16 venues across England from 15 September 2025 to 14 March 2026.
Set design is by Es Devlin, with costume design by Evie Gurney, lighting by Jon Clark, and video design by Ash J Woodward. Sound design is by Dan Balfour and Tom Gibbons, with additional music by Max Perryment.
The tour revival is directed by Connie Treves, with movement direction by Tom Herron. Casting is by Bryony Jarvis-Taylor CDG, with support from Lilly Mackie. Dan Hutton joins as resident director.
The National Theatre will also run a year-long schools engagement programme inspired by Gareth Southgate’s open letter to England fans. It will reach over 10,000 young people and culminate in a unique time capsule of student voices.
Originally commissioned by the National Theatre, Dear England premiered in June 2023 and broke box office records during its West End run. It was released via National Theatre Live in January 2024 and will be adapted into a BBC drama.
This tour is co-produced by National Theatre Productions and JAS Theatricals, supported by Arts Council England’s touring grant scheme.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
