The National Theatre today announces that Gwilym Lee (SAS Rogue Heroes, BBC One; Bohemian Rhapsody, 20th Century Fox) will play former England manager Gareth Southgate in the return of James Graham’s smash-hit production of Dear England, which will play the Olivier theatre from 10 March to 24 May 2025 followed by a four-week run at its Theatre Nation Partner, the Lowry in Salford, from 29 May to 29 June 2025.
Written by playwright James Graham (Punch, Young Vic; Sherwood, BBC One) and directed by the Almeida Theatre’s Artistic Director Rupert Goold (Patriots, Ink; Almeida Theatre/West End/Broadway), Dear England is an epic examination of nation and game, which has been updated following the 2024 UEFA EURO tournament to reflect Gareth Southgate’s final chapter as England manager.
Gwilym Lee is best known for playing legendary Queen guitarist Brian May in the award-winning Bohemian Rhapsody opposite Rami Malek, as well as Grigor Dymov in hit Hulu show The Great.
He can currently be seen in Robert Zemeckis’ latest feature Here with Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, and joins the second season of BBC One’s SAS: Rogue Heroes which broadcasts from 1 January 2025.
Dear England marks Lee’s return to the National Theatre after previous productions including Danton’s Death (2010) and Oedipus (2008).
Gwilym Lee said “I am thrilled to return to the stage after seven years (and to the National Theatre after nearly twice that) to play Gareth Southgate in Rupert Goold’s brilliant production. I can’t say I grew up with football in my bones, like some, but even I was swept up on the wave of excitement and optimism that this group of players under Gareth Southgate created again and again. They struck a chord that resonated beyond the world of football and started a conversation about things like identity, leadership and Englishness that James Graham so passionately encapsulates in this play. I can’t wait to take on the role and continue this conversation.”
The wider creative team for Dear England 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, additional music by Max Perryment, revival director Elin Schofield, casting director Bryony Jarvis-Taylor, dialect coach Richard Ryder, voice coaches Cathleen McCarron and Tasmin Newlands, associate lighting designer Ben Jacobs, associate sound designer Johnny Edwards and staff director Connie Treves.
Further casting to be announced.
The country that gave the world football has since delivered a painful pattern of loss. Why can’t England’s men win at their own game? The team has the worst track record for penalties in the world, and manager Gareth Southgate knows he needs to open his mind and face up to the years of hurt to take team and country back to the promised land.
Dear England was originally commissioned by the National Theatre and developed with the theatre’s New Work department. It had its world premiere in the Olivier theatre on 20 June 2023. Following a sold-out run, Dear England transferred to the Prince Edward Theatre, in London’s West End, from 9 October 2023 to 13 January 2024, where it broke box office records. Dear England was subsequently released to cinemas through National Theatre Live on 24 January 2024 and has been screened almost 2,500 times across the UK. The BBC has also recently commissioned a four-part drama of Dear England based on the stage production for BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Dear England will play the Olivier theatre from 10 March to 24 May 2025, followed by a four-week run at the Lowry in Salford from 29 May to 29 June 2025.
