''The Changing Room'' is a 1971 play by

David Storey David Malcolm Storey (13 July 1933 – 27 March 2017) was an English playwright, screenwriter, award-winning novelist and a professional rugby league player. He won the Booker Prize in 1976 for his novel '' Saville''. He also won the MacMillan F ...

, set in a men's changing room before, during and after a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

football game. It premiered at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

on 9 November 1971, directed by

Lindsay Anderson Lindsay Gordon Anderson (17 April 1923 – 30 August 1994) was a British feature-film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading light of the Free Cinema movement and of the British New Wave. He is most widely remembered fo ...

. The 1973 Broadway production, directed by Michael Rudman, won several awards including the

New York Drama Critics' Circle The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 23 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization is best known for its annual awards for excellence in theater.Jon ...

award for Best Play and the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Featured Actor for

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his John Lithgow filmography, diverse work on stage and screen. He has rece ...

. The technical director for the play was the former Great Britain Rugby League captain Bev Risman.

Plot

At the play's core is a semi-pro

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team. During the week, its members are peaceable men toiling away at mindless,

working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

jobs. On Saturday, they prepare for gory combat on the playing field. The changing room is where they perform their pre-game initiation rites, strip down, loosen muscles, and get into their uniforms. After the match they return, often broken, muddy, and bloody, regretting their loss or giddy with victory in the communal shower. There is little in the way of plot, but Storey engages his audience with his ability to dissect his characters' hurts, hopes, desires, and fighting instincts.

Productions

Premiering on 9 November 1971 at London's

, ''The Changing Room'' had a limited, sold-out run before transferring to the

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in the West End on 14 December. It was directed by

and the cast included Jim Norton, David Daker,

Warren Clarke Warren Clarke (born Alan James Clarke; 26 April 1947 – 12 November 2014) was an English actor. He appeared in many films after a significant role as Dim in Stanley Kubrick's '' A Clockwork Orange''. His television appearances included '' D ...

Brian Glover Brian Glover (2 April 1934 – 24 July 1997) was an English actor and writer. He worked as a teacher and professional wrestler before commencing an acting career which included films, many roles on British television and work on the stage. His ...

, Alun Armstrong and John Barrett. The U.S. premiere was at

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

Long Wharf Theatre Long Wharf Theatre is a nonprofit institution in New Haven, Connecticut, a pioneer in the not-for-profit regional theatre movement, the originator of several prominent plays, and a venue where many internationally known actors have appeared. Fo ...

on 17 November 1972. After three previews, the Broadway production, directed by Michael Rudman, opened on 6 March 1973 at the

Morosco Theatre The Morosco Theatre was a Broadway theatre near Times Square in New York City from 1917 to 1982. It housed many notable productions and its demolition, along with four adjacent theaters, was controversial. History Located at 217 West 45th Stre ...

, where it ran for 192 performances. The cast included

George Hearn George Hearn (born June 18, 1934) is an American actor and bass-baritone singer, primarily in Broadway musical theatre. Some of his Broadway credits include Albin in '' La Cage aux Folles'', the title role in '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barb ...

Richard Masur Richard Masur (born November 20, 1948) is an American character actor who has appeared in more than 40 films. From 1995 to 1999, he served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). He is best known for playing David Kane on '' One ...

John Tillinger John Tillinger (born June 28, 1938) is a theatre director and actor. Life and career Joachim Ferdinand Tillinger was born in Tabriz, Iran. His father was German Jewish and his mother was Protestant. Tillinger was raised in England, where he was ...

, and Tom Atkins.Barnes, Clive, "Theater: ''The Changing Room'' Opens at Morosco", ''The New York Times'', 7 March 1973. The play was revived in 1996 by the Royal Court, in their 'Classics' season, premiering on 1 February and running for two months at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by ...

Reception

Despite extensive male nudity, there was very little controversy associated with the play in 1971. Critical reception was favourable, with the treatment of male relationships praised particularly. Most criticism focused upon the lack of character development and plot.

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

commented, leaving the theatre: "15 acorns are hardly worth the price of admission," referring to the male nudity.Taylor, Paul
"Theatre ''The Changing Room'' Duke of York's, London"
''The Independent'', 9 February 1996. American critics were more glowing in their praise, with the production hailed by Walter Kerr of ''The New York Times'' as "mysterious and ultimately mesmerizing."Kerr, Walter, "''The Changing Room'': Something Like Magic...", ''The New York Times'', 18 March 1973. Clive Barnes, also of ''The New York Times'', wrote: "It is a remarkable play because while it only purports to document what goes on in a locker room before, during and after a football game, the playwright's skill is such that we seem to get to know these football players and the society that produced them." The Broadway production of ''The Changing Room'' won the

award for best play for the 1973 season.

won the

for Best Featured Actor in a Play and the

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

for Outstanding Performance. Tom Atkins won the Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Performer, and Michael Rudman won for Outstanding Director. During the 1996 revival, critical reception was more mixed. Some critics commented on how the play had aged; both rugby league and the global politics mentioned in the play had moved on a long way in the intervening two decades. Many women's publications criticised the macho nature of the play. In contrast, Paul Taylor of ''The Independent'' wrote, "...''The Changing Room'' seems, in 1996, at once a timeless study of male bonding rites and a preservation in art of a fast-vanishing culture."

Awards and nominations

for Best Play (nominee) *Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (Lithgow, winner) *Tony Award for Best Scenic Design (nominee) *Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (nominee) *

for Outstanding Performance (Lithgow, winner) *Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Performer (Atkins, winner) *Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director (winner) *Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design (winner) *

Award for Best Play (winner)

References

External links

Internet Broadway Database listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Changing Room, The 1971 plays Broadway plays Plays by David Storey Plays about sport Rugby league mass media