“You base football player” (King Lear 1.5.91): the rise and significance of the soccer play as index of identity

This article presents an analytical overview of the British and Irish soccer play since 1914. It demonstrates a rise in the incidence of such work in the twenty-first century and suggests reasons for this significant increase. A five part taxonomy is posited, examining the varied roles of person, team, specific game, fictional game and the didactic. A triptych of identity as defined by region, nation and representations of maleness is suggested, and these are shown to be vital tropes of such work. In addition, a consideration of the efficacy of this work as popular theatre is offered, as is the soccer play as a possible vehicle for increasing live theatre attendance in non-metropolitan theatres. John Bennett is Principal Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Studies at Liverpool Hope University.