New Play 'A Working Class Hero' Confronts Identity Crisis in UK Arts

LONDON — Concerns over the lack of authentic representation in the UK performing arts, particularly for actors from working-class and first-generation migrant backgrounds, have been brought into sharp focus by a new play, A Working Class Hero. The crisis, long signaled by high drama school audition fees and funding cuts to affordable training schemes like The Television Workshop, highlights systemic inequalities, including a recent survey revealing that 35% of BAFTA nominees were privately educated.

While debates often center on working-class artists, less attention is paid to first-generation migrants. Data compiled by the organization Migrants in Theatre (founded in 2020) indicates that despite first-generation migrants making up more than 14% of the UK population, their representation in the arts falls far below this level.

Exploring the Dual Identity Trap

A Working Class Hero, a two-hander by writer and actor Theo Hristov, directly explores how this “class warfare” impacts those who identify as both working-class and migrant. Hristov, who is of Bulgarian descent and identifies as working-class (having attended a non-fee-paying state school and qualified for free school dinners), noted in interviews that his combined national, cultural, and ethnic identity often forced him into a performative dilemma: he felt he could be accepted as a working-class actor or a migrant actor, but rarely both simultaneously.

The 60-minute piece, shown at the Voila! Theatre Festival, examines the emotional and creative toll this identity trap takes. Hristov plays Stephan, a working-class migrant actor and writer. His friend, Oscar Nicholson, plays Posh Actor, a privileged counterpart who finds immediate success.

The Plot of Privilege

The play charts Stephan’s struggle to secure roles beyond the stereotypical "Migrant Villain," contrasting sharply with Posh Actor’s effortless climb. Nicholson also plays Stephan’s indifferent agent (in a nod to Stephen Merchant’s Extras character), while Hristov takes on the role of Posh Actor’s upper-class, ferociously supportive agent.

The central conflict arises when Posh Actor, growing weary of his success, seeks a new challenge: playing a working-class character in a gritty Northern TV drama. Stephan, the writer, originally intended the lead role for himself. However, the production company, "Cut Glass," refuses to cast Stephan, claiming his "face does not fit." Though Stephan is deemed capable of writing a working-class drama, he is blocked from starring in it, leading to a breakdown in his friendship with Posh Actor.

Emotional Toll and Creative Conundrum

Directed by Blanka Szentandrássy, the production operates as a play-within-a-play. The most powerful moment arrives when Nicholson steps out of the "Posh Actor" caricature and engages Stephan/Hristov as a friend. This meta-theatrical interlude highlights the emotional, creative, and physical exhaustion caused by systemic discrimination in the arts, with Stephan appearing physically defeated and cornered.

This scene raises a core conundrum: How can the lived experience of discrimination—which often manifests through obvious stereotypes and mocking caricature—be presented on stage without repeating the same problematic patterns? The play attempts to form a critique of the "gate-keepered and pyramid-like structure" of the UK arts industry, questioning the very definitions of identity, class, and privilege.

Though the play contains "laugh out loud" moments, the piece suffers from repetition and fails to explore its complex themes, particularly the working-class perspective, in enough depth. Recurring physical theatre elements—where Stephan visibly strains to move set pieces while Posh Actor effortlessly manages them—function as a metaphor for Stephan's repetitive, weakening struggle with prejudice. However, critics suggest this metaphor could be "pushed beyond its limits" to more forcefully convey the violence and trauma of discrimination.

A Working Class Hero was presented at the Barons Court Theatre as part of the Voila! Theatre Festival, followed by a short run at the Pleasance, and is noted for containing complex ideas that would benefit from further development.