The year is 1553, the true Golden Age of English football. It's the Allen Valley Whitsun Game, and men will die today. This is the big game, and it's been raging for hours. Percy and Rowan are out in the middle of nowhere, miles from the action, when a stranger joins them. A stranger with tidings that will blow their world apart. Time passes. Night falls. The great chain of being collapses. And they're losing the bloody football... Stewart Pringle's play The Bounds is a darkly comedic tale of national divides, folk horror and the end of the world as we know it. It was first co-produced by Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne, and the Royal Court Theatre, London, and performed at both theatres in 2024, directed by Jack McNamara.
'A twisty, clever delight, with the power and excitement of a penalty kick-off win... Pringle is an exquisite writer... his dialogue feels fresh, crammed with memorable turns of phrase' The Stage'Hilarious but haunting... The apocalypse comes laced with ribald humour and pithy social commentary... it's refreshing to encounter a modern play so suffused with ambition and imagination... Complete extinction has seldom seemed so entertaining' WhatsOnStage'Written with wit and abrasive lyricism' Guardian'Funny, creepy and original... Pringle has a terrific way with dialogue... he is superb at synthesising the historic and the contemporary... very entertaining' Time Out'Entertaining, absorbing and thought-provoking... with a deal of very funny banter' Reviews Hub'Delectable and frankly bonkers' Broadway World'An absorbing, inspirational play... full of witty, humorous banter... serious, intense and haunting' British Theatre Guide