A pioneering, black footballer and soldier
Greenwich Theatre, as part of Black History Month, will be hosting Our Little Hour, which tells the inspirational story of the pioneering, black footballer Walter Tull, writes Michael Holland.
Written by award-winning playwright Dougie Blaxland and composer Chris Anthony, and starring Leon Newman, Neil Reidman and Susie Broadbent, Our Little Hour explores how Walter Tull – grandson of a Barbadian slave – orphaned at eight years old, rose to prominence against all odds.
Walter was the first black footballer to play at the highest level of the domestic game – at Tottenham Hotspur – then went on to achieve yet another historic breakthrough as the first man of his heritage to be commissioned as an Officer in the British Army.
Tragically killed in action just a few weeks before the end of World War 1, Walter’s achievements have earned him a distinguished place in British history and in the hearts of everyone who knows his story.
Dougie Blaxland’s route to becoming a writer was ‘circuitous’, he says, and it was that journey which intrigued me enough to ask for this interview.
After reading English at Kent University and then an MPhil research degree at Bristol University ‘where my thesis was about 18th Century Theatre’, Dougie became a professional cricketer for Kent and then Derbyshire.
Sporting careers are notoriously short so when cricket run itself out the intrepid all-rounder reverted back to his educational qualifications and took up teaching English. ‘I then found myself getting promoted – ending up as Head of two secondary schools in the South West,’ he says.
Howzat?, I wanted to ask, but I was now wondering where the playwriting fitted in.
‘I started writing plays as a teacher when I was responsible for directing school plays and discovered that I couldn’t find plays with parts for young adults – so I started writing my own.’
Adapting to the needs of the students and the school led to Dougie winning numerous writing awards. He also created his own niche of penning plays about his sporting heroes (Colin Milburn Jonny Wilkinson, Chris Lewis…) and after a play about footballer Laurie Cunningham was well received on a UK tour he was approached by Show Racism the Red Card to write a play about Walter Tull.
And to add that something extra, he chose to turn the play into a musical! ‘Mainly because I had never written the book and lyrics for a musical before and I wanted to break new ground… and also because we felt that music would enhance and add drama and feeling to Walter’s great story.’
Having reached great heights in sport and teaching I was quite surprised to hear Dougie say it was the playwriting that gave him the most satisfaction: ‘I find writing plays the most fulfilling because I have the absolute freedom to explore and write about areas and subjects of my choice. In many ways it brings together all of my interests: my love of sport, my love of literature, creative arts and my fascination with what makes people tick.’
An explanation I could not argue with.
Dougie Blaxland, said of Our Little Hour: ‘I am so pleased that organisations like Show Racism The Red Card are exploring new ways of engaging people in their campaign against racism – and I hope that audiences feel inspired by Walter Tull. Orphaned at just 8 years old and subjected to dreadful racial abuse he nonetheless rose to achieve two remarkable firsts:
The first Black British footballer to play in the top division of our domestic game; the first Black British Army Officer to lead men in combat!’
And now we all have the opportunity to see that story told.
Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, SE10 8ES 22nd – 23rd October. 7.30pm, Wed matinee 2.30pm. Admission: £17, £14.50.
Booking: www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk
