Red or Dead

'That's all I ask from anyone. That we try to make the people happy.'

Bill Shankly had one aim: to make Liverpool Football Club invincible.

As its manager from 1959, he secured the team promotion, the First Division title, the FA Cup and success in Europe. For fifteen years, he defined what it was to be a Liverpool fan, and demanded total loyalty from his players and coaches. A loyalty that Bill hoped would be repaid when he retired...

David Peace's iconic novel Red or Dead is the fictionalised story of a game, a life, and a man of two halves. This stage version was adapted and directed by Phillip Breen, and first performed at Liverpool's Royal Court in 2025, with a cast including Peter Mullan as Bill Shankly.

The novel was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize and has been widely acclaimed:

'David Peace brings perfect pitch to this ode to Bill Shankly's Liverpool reign' Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Observer

'A love letter to a great manager, an elegy to the beautiful game' Independent

'So hypnotic that even the football-averse might enjoy it' Guardian



Phillip Breen is a writer and director who was born and grew up in Liverpool. David Peace is a novelist whose work includes the Red Riding Quartet, The Damned Utd and Red or Dead.



'A crowd-pleaser... an unapologetically sentimental celebration of one of Liverpool FC's greatest ever heroes, peppered with moments of laugh-out-loud humour'



'Captures the sense of a life lived in the public eye, each move scrutinised... Admirably ambitious, Breen's production is both inspired and inspiring, told with the quick humour, community spirit and full force of the Kop'



'Mesmerising... a rare glimpse of Shankly showing his grit, spark and spirit... There's a touch of King Lear to him too in the second half... extraordinary emotional penetration'



'A spirited tribute to the legendary Liverpool Football Club manager... has an epic scale... Breen keeps the piece coherent and compelling'



'Powerful... captivating... enormously effective'



'A must-see for football fans and theatre enthusiasts alike'