Over the past few years interest in women’s football in the UK has soared, but even though support is up, inequalities still exist in the game. Theatre maker and performer Kate Coulson is exploring this in ‘Lioness’: a one-woman comedy drama that looks at the everyday people behind the game who aren’t famous. With the UEFA European Women’s Championship currently underway, I couldn’t think of a more relevant Edinburgh show to preview on the website than ‘Lioness’. I had the opportunity to ask Kate some questions about the play, which centres on goalkeeper Marnie and is heading to Greenside venues this Fringe.
What inspired you to write a show about women’s football?
I grew up in football crowds on the terraces at Highbury, watching and idolising players like Alex Scott. Twenty years on, her autobiography How Not To Be Strong was an inspirational cornerstone for researching and writing Lioness. In 2022, the women’s game was catapulted into mainstream media and pop culture, after the Lionesses’ history-making victory at the Euros. It was also the year I graduated drama school and started Made You Look Productions – an all-female new writing company telling untold and unconventional women’s stories. Writing a show following a female footballer was an idea I just couldn’t shake – and now here we are!
In your writing, to what extent are you exploring the challenges that still exist in the women’s game?
My starter question for making this show was “what do female footballers have to handle which male footballers don’t?”. From period pains to online misogyny, the challenges that women in the game face are an integral part of the show’s narrative. It’s also why I wanted my protagonist not to be a household name, so the audience can see the reality of female players working side hustles to afford their footballing career. It’s not all doom and gloom though – Marnie’s witty comebacks to men saying “you’re alright… for a girl” ensures Lioness stays true to its comedy drama genre.
What can you tell me about the central character Marnie?
Marnie is a dedicated goalkeeper. She’s also a captain, a girlfriend, a part-time Under 14s coach and a full-time target for sexist Twitter trolls. When she’s not between the sticks or in an early-morning training session with keeper coach Jack, she can be found in the club, rum and coke in hand, throwing it down to Destiny’s Child. She shares her love of the game with boyfriend Lewis – an up-and-coming Premier League superstar. Cracks appear when his career takes off, while hers starts to dip. She also uses her unique lone role as a goalkeeper – and her stubbornness – to shoulder the burden of responsibility for her side’s struggling form. She thinks only she can save their season, but slowly realises that her teammates are her biggest strength – on and off the pitch.
The show is described as ‘Dear England meets Derry Girls’, to what extent will the play appeal to people who aren’t a fan of the game?
Lioness isn’t just about football. It’s about feminism, career clashes and self-worth. It’s also about platonic love; the changing room chaos binds a team tighter than any romance ever could. As a writer, I want to use football as a mirror to show how men and women are still not on a level playing field (pun very much intended!). I also want my audience to laugh – whether that’s when watching me doing a workout sequence in full kit to Avicii’s Levels, or hearing Marnie’s sharp takedowns of everyday sexism. Women were banned from playing between 1921 and 1971, and with the battle for on-the-pitch equality far from finished, I hope both fans and non-fans alike can recognise and relate to Marnie’s story. Having said that, I hope my audience also leaves inspired to support their local women’s club!
What can you tell me about your journey to Edinburgh? How has ‘Lioness’ evolved since the very first draft?
It’s been a long one! This show has been three years in the making, and was a very different show at the start. Months before the Lioness’ victory, at the start of 2022 a first-team Manchester United player was arrested for domestically abusing and sexually assaulting his girlfriend. After the charges were dropped, he was rumoured to be making a return to playing, with fans sending death threats to United’s female players demanding they agree. The first drafts of Lioness followed a similar plotline, when I realised that I was trying to do too much in only forty-five minutes. Instead, I chose to focus on creating a sweaty love letter to the thrill of the game, with significant focus on the sexism women’s clubs still face. The show still retains most of its original structure over the course of a season, but now the audience also sees Marnie’s first day there, and how she grows from eager-eyed rookie to trusted captain.
Performing at Edinburgh in 2025 was always the goal, so I would coincide with the Lionesses defending their title at the Women’s Euros. My side hustles as a creative are mostly teaching, so I wrote drafts in the school holidays and sent them to writer friends for proofreading. By late 2023, I was performing ten-minute chunks at local scratch nights, including in the bar at Theatre Royal Stratford East. We also did two WIP showings at the Lion & Unicorn at the end of last year, using it to launch our Kickstarter fundraising campaign, which was how we paid for our Edinburgh venue. Now, we’re heading up there in less than a month!
What impact do you hope the show has on audiences?
For the fans of the men’s game who might be first-time theatregoers, I hope you leave wanting to see more women’s football, and also more plays! Theatre is for everyone, and it’s our responsibility to make it more accessible, especially when arts funding is on a knife edge. To my LGBTQ+ audiences, I want you to know you are safe watching the game you love. Your support is valued, valuable and a massive influence on the show’s soundtrack! Hopefully, every audience leaves feeling both educated and entertained. Grab your scarves, head to the stands and support your local women’s team!
Supporting women’s football at the Edinburgh Fringe
‘Lioness’ certainly sounds like a very topical show to watch right now. Kate is clearly using theatre as a platform to communicate the brilliance of the women’s game and also highlight the change that is needed in the sport. You can catch the writer and performer in action at Clover Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court from 1st to 23rd August (not 10th and 17th). Performances start daily at 12:40, with tickets available via the festival’s website.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
Just come out of the show – throughly enjoyed it. Hard working with costume changes on set and props but you nailed it. Very engaging and really well performed
Congratulations Kate