Interview: Alex Hill on Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse For England at Southwark Playhouse

Alex Hill is the writer of Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse For England, which comes to Southwark Playhouse Borough this spring, following a critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023, this blisteringly funny new play examines what it means to be a die-hard football fan.

Alex Hill trained as an actor at the Arts Educational Schools, graduating in 2022. Since then, he has written a short film for ArtsEd and set up RoxyDog Productions.

Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse For England opens at Southwark Playhouse Borough in The Large auditorium on 22 April, with previews from 17 April and runs until 4 May 2024.

Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse For England is coming to Southwark Playhouse, what can you tell us about the show?

It’s a one-man play that follows a young man called Billy who loves nothing more than going to the football on a Saturday with his best mate Adam, but when they get caught up with a new group of mates, Billy starts to question what it means to be a ‘die-hard’ football fan. It’s fun, it’s frantic and it’s fierce, but it’s also a deep dive into toxic masculinity, tribalism and belonging. It’s an utter joy to perform and I can’t wait to share it with a wider audience at the Southwark Playhouse.

What inspired you to write the play?

A few things… of course, the infamous bum flare man who made me question the lengths that we go to in the name of ‘support’. Then, the unearthly atmosphere I felt around me on Wembley Way before that Euro 2020 Final against Italy back in 2021. But also, a lot of the play is drawn from my own experiences of going to both the theatre and to football games and questioning what it is about those two very different spaces that somehow feel curiously similar.

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It was critically acclaimed at Edinburgh Fringe, why do you think audiences resonated with the production so well?

I think there’s something unique about seeing a football hooligan on stage and asking an audience to empathise with them. On top of that, I think audiences came in with a certain expectation based on the title of the show and it was great to be able to subvert that. Audiences seem to resonate strongly with the theme of identity and how we as human beings mould ourselves in different ways to fit the world around us.

Why do you think football makes such a good theme for a play?

For me, football is one of the most dramatic backdrops for any story. The wavering emotions that fans go through in 90 minutes are extremely intense and visceral. To be able to use that as an ingredient when building a character is always a great way of drawing new life out of them and discovering more about them and in turn, their story. To quote Ted Lasso: “football is life!”

What’s been the biggest challenge for you as a writer in getting this play to the stage?

This is the first play I’ve written, or at least, the first play I’ve shared with others. I worked with a very talented dramaturg Jake Vithana who gave me boundless notes and ideas and I’m very grateful to him. It’s scary performing your own words and I think the biggest challenge was overcoming the fear of sending out a first draft to new people. It’s a leap of blind faith that I had to make in order to get the cogs turning towards a production.

What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse For England

It’s an hour of theatre bursting with energy and vibrancy. Sean Turner has brilliantly directed it in a way that ensures there’s never a dull moment. With England’s next European tournament around the corner, there’s never been a better time to grab yourself a ticket and indulge yourself in a fascinating, action-packed story about a young man who puts a pyrotechnic in a very sensitive area to show his support for his country… don’t miss it!