Tom Cain Theatre Company presents: 97+
A theatrical Drama based on true events. Aiming to educate audiences on the TRUTH of Hillsborough and raise awareness for survivors still suffering from their trauma.
Written by Tom Cain and set in 2012, Hillsborough Survivors John and Steve each deal with the trauma they suffered as young boys, now as middle-aged men. John, played by Colin Kilbride, bottles up his emotions and only exposes them to his wife Liz, played by Claudia Molyneux, as he regularly suffers from night terrors but avoids seeking treatment from the doctors. As opposed to Steve played by Leslie Longley, who lives alone but seeks help from the hospital or the vodka bottle as his only support mechanisms. Despite countless setbacks, the Hillsborough Survivors continue their fight for justice.
Football and theatre are not that common together. What inspired this drama?
As well as working in theatre, I have always been a massive football fan with Liverpool FC being at the heart of my life. I wanted to write a play that linked the two things together, to attract non traditional theatre audience members to a theatre, to break any stereo-types that the two oppose one another. However although there are some references to football overall this is not a football play. It’s about family, supporting one another, male friendships, male mental health, and looks upon serious themes such as PTSD, suicide, schizophrenia, depression and self harm.
I always wanted to write a play about the Hillsborough Disaster as a means to educate audiences on what really happened that day, to disregard the lies Liverpool have been scrutinised with. I wrote a play surrounding the Hillsborough Disaster in high school, college, then in university when 97+ was formed. Originally 97+ was titled 96+ after the 96 victims to the Hillsborough Disaster. However in 2021 Andrew Devine died from the life time injuries he sustained in 1989 making it the 97.
My Grandad was a Hillsborough Survivor and although he lived his life always being a strong, fearless man, who struggled to show his emotions, each year on April 15th the day of the anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster he would be affected.
What is the truth of Hillsborough that you mention in the press release?
The truth is that Liverpool fans did not cause Hillsborough, they did not kill their own, they didn’t urinate on victims bodies, loot them or do anything to harm them. That the Sun newspaper printed all these lies in their headlines the next day, which is why Liverpool still to this day boycott that paper.
That the police intentionally covered up from their errors with crowd control to pin the blame on Liverpool fans. Liverpool already had a tarnished reputation from 5 years earlier at the Heysel Disaster when 39 Juventus fans lost their lives because of football hooliganism. But Hillsborough wasn’t caused by hooliganism, the stadium wasn’t fit for a semi-final, the crowd wasn’t filtered into the correct pens causing a horrendous crush. When fans tried to escape, spilling onto the pitch the police forced them back into the crowd thinking it was a pitch invasion. There was nobody in charge, no control and no safety procedures in place to prevent this from happening.
How did you become involved with the charity?
I wrote 97+ back in 2021 for my Edge Hill University dissertation. To gather my plays initial research I reached out to the Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance (H.S.A) to volunteers to join me for an online interview as it was in the midst of the pandemic. After interviewing approximately 10 interviews I collaborated with the H.S.A to write a full two act play. Since then my play has been converted from seven characters to three for a one hour Fringe edition.
Some of these interviewees have been to watch my performances at the Liverpool Theatre Festival last year. It was a great honour to have met them in person, hearing their support towards the production. I feel a special connection with these people, they helped create the story of 97+ and only myself and them know what parts of the script are exact quotes that they said, verbatim.
My actors were overwhelmed meeting them as they said they saw themselves so much in the characters my actors played on stage. In our previous five performances of 97+ including a Schools Only Edition in support of The Real Truth Legacy Project a government campaign to add Hillsborough to the high school curriculum through Liverpool city council, we have had a donation bucket on the door raising funds for the H.S.A that go towards survivors undergoing Hillsborough Transformational Recovery Model, a therapy designed to help survivors overcome their trauma.
What do you hope audiences will experience in your production?
I hope my audience will learn the truth on the Hillsborough Disaster and it will raise awareness for survivors that are still suffering from their trauma. That it will shine a light onto why Liverpool feel separate from England, the saying ‘Scouse not English’ is still prominent because of the way the Hillsborough Disaster was handled, as well as the miners strike all happening in the 80’s and I believe a class divide between North and South still exists in modern day society.
I also hope it will help dispel victim chants at football grounds, that teams use to rival up the opposition and not just for Hillsborough but for Munich air disaster affecting Manchester United, Bradford City stadium fire and even international disasters. Football chants are supposed to encourage your team to win and anything to do with the opposition showing football rivalry has to be what’s seen as an obvious joke for everyone, a tease, banter, not victim chanting which can seriously distress someone suffering from PTSD.
And the inevitable: why Edinburgh Fringe?
Taking my own show to the Edinburgh Fringe has been at the top of my bucket list since I become invested in theatre. I visited the Fringe last year when I was enquiring to venues to perform in 2023 and The Space UK was always the ideal choice. Fitting in approximately 6 shows a day, creating a jam packed schedule, literally running from one venue to the next to catch each show on time, seeing such a variety of theatre, musicals, comedians and other entertainment was amazing. Visiting The Fringe as an audience member was one of the best trips of my life and I hope bringing my show here will be even more thrilling.
From previously having an audience experience, this has given me a great insight to ensure 97+ excels in both the performance and marketing aspects. I hope exposing 97+ to an international level at the worlds largest theatre festival will help continue to educate audiences on Hillsborough and raise awareness of survivors still suffering from their trauma.
I would like Edinburgh Fringe to be able to give us the publicity to take the show on a UK tour and a producer to pick up my play to help debut the full version of 97+, consisting of a cast of seven, and a new gripping twist to the story that I would say is my best piece of writing.
Listings information
Venue: theSpace on the Mile
Dates: 14 – 19 August 2023
Time: 19:40 (60mins)
Ticket prices: £10 / concessions £8.50
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/97
Suitable for ages 16+
97+ is also written in collaboration with the Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance, a charity set up by survivors who provide Hillsborough Transformational Recovery Model, a therapy intended to help other survivors. Tom is forever grateful to the HSA, as without those interviews he would not have been able to tell their story.
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