Gareth Thomas play announced by National Theatre Wales
By Sam Rigby
National Theatre Wales and Out of Joint have announced a new play based on the life of Gareth Thomas.
Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage tells the story of Thomas and his hometown of Bridgend, after the rugby star came out as gay five years ago.
The play is written by Robin Soans, who is known for his work on acclaimed productions like Mixed Up North, A State Affair and Talking to Terrorists. Meanwhile, Max Stafford-Clark will direct the production.
The announcement explained: “This is the story of two Welsh names bruised, but not beaten, by media speculation; Gareth ‘Alfie’ Thomas, 100 caps for Wales, once its captain, now the world’s most prominent gay sportsman; and his hometown, Bridgend.”
Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage is also described as “a great story about sport, politics, secrets, life and learning to be yourself” – click here for ticket information.
The play will open at Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre on February 19, before embarking on a tour of the UK shortly after. Tour dates will be announced in due course.
Thomas recently opened up about his life immediately after coming out, saying that he tried to take his own life on more than one occasion – read more here.
> Gareth Thomas: ‘I hope I’ve helped disprove gay stereotype’