It's been a very challenging year, Dear England.
There had never been a national team coach who had written anything like Gareth Southgate's 2021 open letter to England supporters.
The extraordinary transformation of both the England men's football team and the unassuming man who manages it came to a head with his 1,700 sincere words.
They transformed from a broken and dejected institution to a source of pride for the country in a matter of years. One man is the key figure in it.
Actor Joseph Fiennes, who is currently portraying Southgate at the National Theatre, claims that the character "has a sort of moral integrity and compass.".
"You can imagine that he wants to free himself and give players their voice because he was raised as a young player in a very toxic male environment. ".
The actor, who is dressed similarly to the England manager when we first meet, has also undergone a change of identity.
In addition to playing the villainous Fred Waterford in The Handmaid's Tale, Fiennes is best known for his historical roles, including his work in the 1998 film Shakespeare in Love. Is playing a character that the audience can relate to any relief?
The actor exclaims, "A huge relief.". The thought that I could play someone decent for once was a significant contributor to the gravitational pull. ".
He insists though that this decency shouldn't be mistaken for frailty.
Without having some sort of backbone, you cannot possibly manage the England team. In contrast to what he likely witnessed in the locker room [as a young player], he is someone who manages emotions with restraint. Don't let that deceive you though. He is tough as steel. ".
Fiennes continues, "Southgate is up against an infrastructure that has the ghosts of all the toxic environments that he grew up in in his early days as manager.
The infamous penalty missed by the former England defender in the Euro 96 semifinal seemed destined to haunt him for the rest of time. However, he has changed the atmosphere surrounding the national team since being named manager in 2016.
The Southgate revolution has been so extraordinary that one of the most renowned playwrights in Britain decided it was a drama deserving of one of London's largest stages.
James Graham says, "I believe it to be Shakespearean because it is epic.
Graham, who is best known for penning the television smash Sherwood and the award-winning play This House, has obviously embraced the challenge of taking on a major institution.
You have these incredibly intimate tales, these characters in the foreground, against the backdrop of these enormous nation-changing events, he claims. And that is what it's like to manage England. ".
The two-month run of Dear England at the National Theatre begins on Saturday, when Southgate takes over as interim manager in the wake of the team's humiliating Euro 2016 exit and Sam Allardyce's brief leadership.
It was essentially the lowest point in England's football history, according to Graham. "We just fell to Iceland. We were doing so poorly in competitions, and then something changed.
"Anger was completely replaced with joy as people's attitudes toward the sport. We probably ask how Gareth accomplished that in our play. ".
Of course, there is more to the answer than just sports. The book Dear England also looks at racism, mental health, and the tremendous pressure placed on young men who play soccer.
Graham says, "You have the mindset that Gareth wants to instill in the team, which would mean that you can get rid of the fear. "[It's] a different kind of masculinity, which allowed players to display greater vulnerability.
"They were permitted to voice their skepticism and worry. I believe that affected everyone on the team, including the chefs and psychologists. ".
The play also addresses a subject that has come to symbolize England's difficulties and gives its supporters chills.
For an England player, approaching the penalty spot has a distinct feeling that no one could explain, claims Graham. "Gareth hired psychologists for that reason.
"Pippa Grange, who is portrayed by Gina McKee, helps us understand the psychology of both sports and Englishness. So as a playwright, I hope we can have a conversation about something other than football. ".
The connection between what happened on the field and off it has rarely been more contentious than it was after England's loss to France on penalties in the Euro 2020 final. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka, the three players who failed to convert their spot-kicks, were all subjected to racial taunts in the days that followed.
However, the play also promotes conversations about the function of footballers in the twenty-first century and the response to the abuse, not the abuse itself.
They have a social conscience, which is lovely and something we haven't seen before, according to Fiennes.
In the play, we do represent the viewpoint of those who advise others to "stick to football," Graham continues. Nevertheless, neither Gareth nor I personally hold that belief. ".
And in a way, that captures what the author and his team are attempting to accomplish. The play Dear England explores more than just football by asking what the national team's journey can teach us about ourselves.
He explains, "We're talking about national identity and the weight of history during a specific period in our national history.
"Rather than using politicians or anyone else to try to make sense of that, we want to do so through the England football team.
"I hope it gives the play real significance and enables a viewer to comprehend the previous few years on and off the field. ".
The National Theatre in London will present Dear England from 10 June to 11 August.
