Brighton's 125th anniversary has inspired Stand Or Fall - The Play, a September premiere at the Theatre Royal in Brighton that is also a tribute to writer-director Mark Brailsford's father Fred. Brailsford plays eight roles in the production, and he said the project comes from family as much as football. Fred died earlier this year.
Brailsford's family story
"It's driven by my memories of my father. He took me to the football, and his father took him, so there are three generations in it," Brailsford said on BBC. He added: "He would have loved it. I wish he would have seen it, but he knew I was doing it. I will be thinking of him when I do the show."
That personal thread sits at the centre of the play. Brailsford also called it "a tribute to him as well", which fits the way the project has been framed by those involved: as a family story first, and a football story second.
Brighton's rise on stage
The football side of the play reaches back to Goldstone Ground in 1997, then moves through ground-sharing with Gillingham at Priestfield in Kent, more than a decade at the 7,000-capacity Withdean Stadium, the Amex Stadium and Europa League football in 2023/24. Brailsford said: "A lot of what we went through watching the Albion is in this play."
Sarah Mann, who plays mother Sally, put it even more plainly: "It's not just a play about football. It's about a family and their journey."
That journey now sits alongside a club that finished eighth in the 2025 Premier League with 53 points, a neat marker of how far Brighton have come since the years the play revisits. Even the present-day backdrop looks different, with Brighton drawing 1-1 at home to Leeds on 2026-09-05, while the anniversary production heads towards its September run.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
