Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads

by Roy Williams

Overview

Saturday 7 October 2000. England v Germany, The King George v The Duke of York. Keegan resigns and Barry plays a blinder. Tensions erupt in a South London pub as England lose again.

First produced at the National Theatre in 2002, Sing Yer Hearts Out for the Lads became a controversial classic exploring racial tension against the backdrop of an England football match watched in a south London pub.

The play highlights how a surface acceptance of racial differences is easily destoryed leading to violent escalation and the polarisation of racial groups.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781408147382
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	09/29/2011
Series:	Modern Plays
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	944,553
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Roy Williams OBE worked as an actor before turbaning to writing full-time in 1990. His plays for the theatre include The No Boys Cricket Club, Clubland, Fallout, Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads, Little Sweet Thing, Days of Significance, Joe Guy, Baby Girl and Sucker Punch. He was the first recipient of the Alfred Fagon Award and was awarded the OBE for Services to Drama in the 2008 Birthday Honours List.

Gemma Edwards received her PhD from the University of Nottingham, UK, and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Manchester, UK. Her work explores the representation of non-metropolitan communities and environments in contemporary theatre, with a focus on the relationships between place, politics, and performance.

Table of Contents

Chronology and Significant Historical Events

Context:
Cultural and Political (development of English nationalism, including more recently Brexit, Scottish Referendum, rise of UKIP, Windrush scandal, #BlackLivesMatter movement)
Theatrical (social realism of pub setting)

Genre:
In Yer Face theatre
Sport shaping form
Games and strategy

Characters:
Ensemble cast and its tribal nature
Behaviours across generations
The young: Barry and Glen (also Duane and Bad T)
Middle-aged men: Mark (military) and Lee (police officer)
Different types of racism: Alan (intellectualised racism) and Lawrie (overt racism)
Mothers: Gina and Sharon

Themes:
Sport
English nationalism
Racism

Production History:
Revival at Chichester Festival Theatre, 2019
Scheduled 'Coming Home' production at the National Theatre, 2020

Further Exploration
Interview with Roy Williams

SING YER HEART OUT FOR THE LADS

Notes

Editorial Reviews

The material is raw and real and is miserably just as relevant now as it was 17 years ago ...” —Whatsonstage

“This is the sort of gutsy, uncompromising and bold drama that is sorely lacking in today's inoffensive, watered-down theatre industry” —The Stage

“This searing, finely crafted play, pivoting around two pairs of brothers - one white and one black - remains vexingly relevant” —The Times

“As the pub's own football team arrives to watch the match, Williams shows how generalised xenophobia conceals a more specific racism ... Williams [sharply] delineates the different faces of British racism.” —Michael Billington, Guardian

“A fascinating play to explore with an A-Level group keen to discuss national, cultural and ethnic identity.” —Drama and Theatre

“Premiered at the National Theatre in 2002, Roy Williams's ferocious, funny and disturbing play takes aim at what it means to be black, white and English in twenty-first century Britain. Scoring high on foul language, threat and vulgar humour, Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads is definitely not for the faint of heart.” —Chichester Festival Theatre

From the Publisher