We go behind the scenes at Stand Or Fall, the new play set to delight Albion fans

It tends to be the other way around on matchday at the Amex.

The ascending rows of cushioned seats are not actually stands, in this case, of course.

We are in the impressive surrounds of the Theatre Royal in Brighton and the man who has just given his team a few instructions is Mark Brailsford.

I was invited to see work in progress on Stand Or Fall.

Stand Or Fall cast raise their voices at the Theatre Royal (Image: BHAFC/Paul Hazlewood)

The play. Not the documentary or film. It’s a play, as writer and director Brailsford is keen to point out.

And it will be ready to go during the extended international break which awaits us this month.

Stand Or Fall uses Albion’s unique history from the so-called War Years of the 1990s to reaching Europe as the backdrop for what the club means to supporters.

The focus is through a family of fans and former Eastenders star Paul Moriarty, as Grandad, is among the cast.

Brailsford, a big Albion and England fan, is perhaps best known around Brighton for satirical The Treason Show.

The play follows a group of supporters through the club's journey from the final days at the Goldstone, through Gillingham and Withdean, to Wembley, the Premier League and European football.

Brailsford told The Argus: “This goes back to a play that I was in called Brighton Til I Die, which we did here in 2011. That was written by Paul Hodson and Dave Blake, and it was a privilege and an honour to appear in that.

“At one point, it was discussed within circles, ‘Shall we do that again?’

Mark Brailsford at the Theatre Royal (Image: BHAFC/Paul Hazlewood)

“And it was decided we've kind of left that there. The story has moved on as well and then we've done that

“Then the suggestion came up, ‘Why don't we do a new one?’ and I thought, ‘Oh dear, that's a big one – oh all right then’.

“So up comes the idea for Stand Or Fall, the play. We always have to emphasise the play because people are confusing it with the documentary.

“It frames the time from the last day at the Goldstone through to us finally qualifying for the Europa League.

“But, within that, it's actually also a theatrical play with characters telling their story of the fans' journey.

Preparations continue at the Theatre Royal (Image: Newsquest)

“So you get the Albion history, but you also get this story of this family and friendship.

“What did the Goldstone mean to everybody? What do the Albion mean to everybody? What does the Amex mean?

“That sense of belonging, sense of home and meaning.

“It's an emotional attachment that goes beyond just liking football.

“But it's also a theatrical story about these amazing people who lived through those years.”

There is plenty of reference to the period when fans fought for the club’s future.

“I'm playing Bill Archer with my white eye patch,” said Brailsford, who actually has eight roles.

“And we've got someone playing (David) Bellotti.

“But it's about the generations, what it's like when you follow the Albion.”

We are treated to a couple of scenes and one is the sort of conversation you could imagine on the terraces and across households throughout the club’s fanbase.

There’s the line that Grandad ALWAYS says when a certain thing happens in a game.

And there’s mum (Sarah Mann) and her approach to her son (Danny) using bad language.

Only at the Goldstone at three o’clock on a Saturday, ****head.

And then out came the ponchos. Four of them, carefully preserved, from Withdean days and believed to be the only ones still in existence.

Reminders of a bygone era which, in some ways, is better in retrospect than it was at the time (although there are occasions when ponchos might still be handy in the front rows of the Amex).

“You may tell them all that we stand or fall,” Brailsford said.

“This was the marching song of the Sussex Regiment.

“It would have been the last piece of music some of those guys heard. We reflect on that.

“Even if you are not aware of the history of the Albion, you will come and see this great, funny drama. A dramady as we call it.”

The other beauty of the play is how it further brings the football club and city together.

That is something which has felt more apparent in recent years as Albion represent Brighton and Hove on an international scale.

Be it by playing in football’s most global league, be it by signing players from around the world or be it by qualifying for Europe.

Across New Road, there is now an Albion section in the city’s museum. The club in the heart of the city.

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Brailsford said: “You are here in this beautiful theatre, which is an event in itself, and we get to tell this wonderful story and celebrate the club’s first 125 years.

“It is something we achieved with other football plays in that you bring together two constituencies.

“The theatre-going public and the arts is not generally associated with Brighton and Hove Albion.

“But, of all the clubs in the country, if there is one which is associated with the arts, it’s the Albion through what we did with Brighton Til I Die, with Blue and White Christmas.

“As Brighton and Hove as a city, and Sussex generally, we are a very creative place and that is imprinted I think in the DNA of people here and of the Albion.”

And it’s a play – NOT a documentary.

Tickets are available via www.atgtickets.com/shows/stand-or-fall

It runs from Wednesday, September 23 until Saturday, September 26. Performances at 7.30pm each evening plus a 2.30pm matinee on Saturday. Each performance comprises two 45-minute halves.