The first of a few articles where the performing arts interact with Football and other sports. The more passionate writers on sport are more obvious than those less familiar and use sports’ diversity (getting to places other parts of society can’t reach) to the writer’s advantage.
To begin in the middle of a narrative, in April 2013 Hijabi Monologues Ireland first performed a collection of thirteen very short one-act monologues at http://www.axisballymun.ie/
One of the segments was “The Big Game” performed by Maeve Fitzgerald https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6_SzzFHXt8
Sponsored by Muslim Sisters of Eire , British Council Ireland and the Immigrant Council of Ireland. The Irish production brought to the stage experiences of Irish Muslims. The Irish ‘Hijabi Monologues’ to break down barriers and assumptions The Journal April 2013. UCD AFC Supporters Club were asked to provide some of the props for The Big Game, we provided UCD scarves and offered a UCD AFC printed flag, the prop-designer said they already had one that turned out to be a Dublin GAA flag.
The Irish production took part in the Belfast Festival October 2013 and Women of the World Festival, Derry 2013.
The Irish production used the EA Sports Cup Semi-Final Shelbourne FC : UCD AFC on lovely evening, Monday 21st August 2005. After a tit-for-tat game, Shels’ Colin Hawkins scored on 85 minutes and Shels should have closed the game out. But Student Brian Gannon levelled on 90 minutes and then Robbie Martin beat the Shelbourne off-side and ran from the middle of the half to score past the Shels’ keeper.
It was a fantastic response to the goal, UCD Fans certainly enjoyed the night. UCD’s home ground hosted Derry City FC at Belfield Park, but went down 1-2 in the EA Sports Cup Final.
The inspiration came from Hijabi Monologues HQ founded in 2006 by University of Chicago’s Sahar Ishtiaque Ullah, Zeenat Rahman and Danny Morrison bringing together 14 stories. Including “Hurricane” involving a student attending a University of Miami (UM) and Florida State University American Football game. The US version was of course inspired by The Vagina Monologues of 1996. The USA production arrived at the Peacock Theatre Dublin in 2012 where Kamillah Pickett ‘Hurricane’. Youtube: Hijabi Monologues channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5-gdH1M6U8
Hijabi Monologues HQ (USA) 2019
Productions continued with Hijabi Monologen Nederland invited workshops and auditions in August 2014 before performances by Stage-Z the house company of Theatre Zuidplein, Rotterdam and toured the Nederlands. November 2014 review in Theater Krant https://www.theaterkrant.nl/recensie/hijabi-monologen/stage-z/?fbclid=IwAR3qTIrcpqc3SvaA09-Qm7equ4wfnoVSAc1t44VG-Bhd4ZY8zpK3lkKk9w4
MiHijabi Monologen Nederland 2014
Hijabi Monologues UK premiered in 2017 at The Bush Theatre, using Sahar’s sporting theme as “Hoops” QPR FC and Brentford FC game.
Youtube Hijabi Monologues London: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9leCkudRvA
Performed by Michal Keyamo , adapted by Ellie Horne and directed by Millie Bhatia
