Plays to the people!
A football-themed drama aims to hit the target outside the region's familiar venues
There’s nothing like seeing it live. From a last-minute playoff winner, to your favourite band in concert, to a night at the theatre, there’s something about sharing that experience that makes it even more special.
Which is why Jeff Brown – veteran sports reporter turned playwright – is so determined to take his latest work beyond the region’s more familiar stages.
The Bench, a football-themed love story that also tackles issues around poverty, racism and a fractured social contract, is out on tour almost two years after it premiered at the Customs House in South Shields. But it’s not sticking to the usual circuit: with support from the Highlights Rural Touring Group the show has been to village halls across County Durham, Northumberland and Cumbria. Remaining dates include a church hall on the edge of Durham and a school in Brown’s native Sunderland. Getting the play to the people is a key part of the vision.
“It’s massively important,” Brown said as the show opened at Durham’s Gala Theatre. “Post Covid, it’s been so difficult to get people to come out and see theatre, especially for local companies like us.
“Sometimes, you have to take it out to them rather than expect them to travel to see it. That’s why it’s important that we give people in more rural, more isolated communities a chance to come out and have a really good night – and maybe remind people how good live theatre is, how much better any live show is compared with streaming on your TV.”
There’s some irony in that. Brown is best known as the face of local TV sports coverage, and his decades of experience from the region’s stadiums and training grounds informs much of the play. The “bloke off the telly” effect probably helps get people into the theatre – but the cultural environment is a fragile one.
“My wife is heavily involved with the Live Theatre, which is hugely successful, but faces the same problems as all theatres do – especially with plays,” Brown added. “Musicals always get a good following but plays are a risk because people don’t know what to expect.
“I’m overwhelmed that people will come to see it, and if I can leave them smiling that’s even better. I just think theatre is so important. It lifts people’s spirits, it gets us talking, it gets people out of the house. And any live entertainment just beats anything you can see on a screen.”
As The Bench opened in Durham to great reviews, the first-night audience was not quite the typical theatre crowd. Many were talking about it being their first time to see a play, rather than music or comedy at the venue.
“Theatre audiences are still overwhelmingly white, middle-aged middle class,” Brown admitted. “Something like the football angle, it’s something I know because I was a football reporter for 30 years and still am, but maybe it might tempt in some people who wouldn’t normally come to the theatre.
“And tacking issues like poverty and racism as well as being a love story. It might strike a chord with people who don’t normally come to the theatre.”
With a sympathetic portrayal of a young footballer – out of form, feeling out of place after a big money move turns sour – it also struck a chord with former Sunderland head coach Tony Mowbray. He came to see the original production in South Shields.
“He absolutely loved it,” Brown smiled. “He told me he wanted to bring his squad to show that the people understand there’s another life to being a footballer. People just assume if you’re a footballer you’ve got lots of money, therefore you’ve got the perfect life.”
And the play’s key relationship – two young people struggling for very different reasons in very different circumstances – resonates with audiences. That’s what makes it all worthwhile for Brown and his team.
“You come out and people are all talking about it,” he said. “They’re chatting about different parts, what they thought and what they liked. The buzz is fabulous.”
The Bench continues its tour until June 21 with upcoming shows in Middlesbrough, Washington, Alnwick, Meadowfield, Hexham, Newcastle, Sunderland, Bishop Auckland, Saltburn and South Shields. For full details of dates and venues, click here.