Roy Williams OBE worked as an actor before turning 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.

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

• Chronology and Significant Historical EventsContext: 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 theatreSport shaping formGames and strategyCharacters: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 SharonThemes: SportEnglish nationalismRacismProduction History:Revival at Chichester Festival Theatre, 2019Scheduled ‘Coming Home’ production at the National Theatre, 2020Further ExplorationInterview with Roy WilliamsSING YER HEART OUT FOR THE LADSNotes