Birmingham Rep is to stage a new drama celebrating and exposing the real-life experiences of women in football, Good for a Girl.
The cast comprises Saskia Davis, making her professional stage debut as Gabi, April Nerissa Hudson as Naomi, Molly Walker as Liv, former England Youth player turned professional actor Elizabeth Hope as Kim and Gina Jamieson as Courtney.
Becky Deeks, the head of the Young Rep—the theatre’s company for those aged between three and 26—wrote the play and is associate director.
The Rep is presenting Good for a Girl in association with feminist arts organisation Fractured Glass, whose founder Lucy Wild is the play’s director and movement director. Set designer is Laura O’Connell, costume designer and textile artist is Ocean Farini, Jessie Addinall is lighting designer, sound designer is Clive Meldrum, Hope Ward-Brown is producer and production manager is Elliot Mitchell.
Deeks said, “Good for a Girl is a deeply personal story inspired by my experiences as a footballer and some incredible people who’ve been part of the research process. Women’s football has come so far, even since I began writing the play in 2019. However, the inequalities explored in this play remind us how much more there is to do. I hope this production not only celebrates the incredible strength of female athletes but also inspires change both on and off the pitch.”
The Rep is also offering creative workshops for youth theatres, grassroots sports clubs and community groups.
Good For a Girl will première in the Rep’s performance space The Door from Wednesday 19 until Saturday 22 February before touring to Malvern Theatre, Derby Theatre, Coventry’s Warwick Arts Centre and Leicester’s Attenborough Arts Centre.