National Theatre Wales stages play about gay rugby star Gareth Thomas

National Theatre Wales and Out of Joint are co-producing a new verbatim play about retired gay rugby star Gareth Thomas (pictured).

Directed by Out of Joint's Max Stafford-Clark, Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage will open at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff, in February 2015, before touring Wales and England.

According to press material: "On the eve of one of the most important games of his career, Welsh rugby legend Gareth Thomas received a warning: The Sun newspaper was going to 'out' him as gay.

"This is the story of two Welsh names bruised, but not beaten, by media speculation; Gareth 'Alfie' Thomas, 100 caps for Wales, once its captain, now the world's most prominent gay sportsman; and his hometown, Bridgend."

Writer Robin Soans worked with Thomas himself as well as young people in Bridgend to create a documentary play based on verbatim testimony. Soans' previous collaborations with Out of Joint include Mixed Up North, A State Affair and Talking to Terrorists.

Further details and tour dates for Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage will be announced soon.