Sisters 360 Skating Into a Venue Near You

A lovely heartwarming tale of two stepsisters who follow their dreams even in the face of separation. Set in a simple but effective urban skatepark the story is one of following your dreams no matter what. But whilst simple on the face of it there are a number of sub plots that are introduced as we travel through the story.

The stage provides the perfect backdrop for the story of two 10-year-old stepsisters, Fatima and Salima, who have been inspired by a female Olympic skateboarding champion to become winners in that male dominated world. Living in a Muslim household in Bradford they spend their spare time practicing their skateboard skills for the Tiny is Mighty skateboarding competition only for their hopes to be dashed when their mother takes a job in London, splitting the daughters up. Can they continue their preparations for the competition even though they are 200 miles apart? It will need all their skill, planning, and imagination to overcome this set back and succeed.
Written by Bradford playwright Asif Khan and inspired by the real-life story of three sisters in Hull and their hero Sky Brown. A co-production between Leeds Playhouse, Polka Theatre, AIK Productions and Turtle Key Arts, the play will go on a short community tour around Leeds, taking live theatre to younger audiences and hopefully inspiring a new audience for mainstream theatre in the future.

The two sisters spend most of their spare time talking and dreaming together as only 10-year-old girls can peppered with little rap sections and interesting facts about bats (the subject of their father’s work). Salima (Farah Ashraf) is the more studious and constantly writes in her notebook whilst Fatima (Sara Abanur) is the most likely to burst into rap.
When split up the sisters keep in touch and try numerous plans to get their parents back together, all of which are doomed to failure, until Salima uses her interest in her father’s work with bats to come up with a plan so cunning it surely cannot fail. Will the plan work? Will the sisters be able to enter the competition? Will they win?

The play asks some interesting questions whilst not really providing any real answers or conclusions but would be the perfect starting point for conversations amongst younger audience members. Such as two hijab wearing Muslim girls being allowed to enter the male dominated skateboarding world. The marriage between a Somali and Pakistani and the impact on them and their two families.
At just 55 minutes long it is the perfect length for a younger audience, and the fantastical nature of the ending did not worry me, and whilst as a much older audience member I found there were so many themes left to unpack, I appreciate that this is, after all, a play advertised for ages 8 to 12.



Sisters 360 Leeds Playhouse until 10th May
Also at: LS-TEN, Hunslet 13th May
Castleton Primary School, Armley 14th May
GetAway Girls, Seacroft 16th May
St Mary’s Parochial Hall, Middleton 17th May
Shakespeare Primary School, Burmantofts 20th May
Slung Low, Holbeck 21st May
Bankside Primary School, Harehills 22nd May