- What made you want to write We Love You City?
If you had to pin point some key moments in Coventry’s history in the 20th century the blitz would of course be one of the pre-eminent ones, but not far behind would be the day Coventry City FC won the FA Cup in 1987, and how it made the city feel. I became interested in trying to capture that moment, partly because it’s a great underdog story, but also because of the ways the game seemed to mirror some of the issues in the city. The eighties wasn’t necessarily a happy time for Coventry, unemployment was high and in common with many UK cities it had its fare share of tensions amongst various different communities. The game seemed to be able to cut through all that and give the city a much needed moment of unity.
- Talking Birds theatre company is known for creating theatre that transforms buildings and spaces. Without giving too much away, how will you do this with We Love You City?
The show will take place in the Belgrade’s B2 auditorium, a space which is brilliantly geared up for transformation. It’s expected in a theatre, of course, but we’ll be bringing what I like to think is a characteristic visual flair to transform the theatre into at times the streets of Coventry, and at times the hallowed Wembley pitch.
- You asked the people of Coventry to submit their memories of the day Coventry won the FA Cup – what was the response like and are there any particular stories that stuck out in your mind?
We had a great response through the phone lines, through emails, and through postcards. I have many favourites, and the drama is inspired by a combination of the most resonant ones. Some are so surprising I don’t want to give them away as they’re key to the plot, but they’re a mixture of funny, moving, ridiculous, and in some cases almost unbelievable.
- Have you met with any particular challenges throughout the creative process so far?
The main challenge is to make the drama as exciting as the match. It’s got to be a show which is satisfying for both football lovers and theatre lovers. Luckily the game itself contained five goals which almost exactly mirror the five act structure in a classically designed play – the early set back, the turning point, the complication, the catastrophe, the last minute triumph – so in many ways the game has always been asking for a dramatic treatment.
- How do you plan to capture and portray the atmosphere of the city on that day in We Love You City?
I’ve tried to do this by choosing stories from Coventry which can mirror the story of the game. Each character follows roughly the structure of an early set back, before pulling things round a little, then falling behind again, then ultimately coming to a kind of personal victory. Some of these victories are very small, but then small victories are what often count and the cumulative effect of these journeys will, we hope, help create the particular atmosphere that was so exhilarating on that day.
- Sum up We Love You City in five words…
A theatrical last minute winner!
