Sisters360 is a children’s show (ages 8-12) written by Asif Khan which features two skateboarding hijab-wearing step-sisters. It will tour the UK from March.
Inspired by a true story, it was recently featured on the One Show and nominated for Best Stage Production at the Asian Media Awards.
LONDON
Half Moon Theatre
Fri 20 Mar & Sat 21 Mar
halfmoon.org.uk
IPSWICH
New Wolsey Theatre
Tue 7 Apr
wolseytheatre.co.uk
LINCOLN
Lincoln Arts Centre
Fri 17 Apr
lincolnartscentre.co.uk
BIRMINGHAM
Midlands Arts Centre
Sat 28 Mar
macbirmingham.co.uk
LONDON
Greenwich Theatre
Thu 9 Apr
greenwichtheatre.org.uk
HUDDERSFIELD
Lawrence Batley Theatre
Sat 18 Apr
thelbt.org
LONDON
artsdepot
Tue 31 Mar
artsdepot.co.uk
BOLTON
Octagon Theatre
Fri 10 Apr
octagonbolton.co.uk
COVENTRY
Belgrade Theatre
Wed 22 & Thu 23 Apr
belgrade.co.uk
SLOUGH
Curve Venue
Thu 2 Apr
curvevenue.uk
WORTHING
Connaught Studio
Sat 11 Apr
wtm.uk
NEWBURY
Corn Exchange Newbury
Sat 25 Apr
cornexchangenew.com
DERBY
Derby Theatre
Sat 4 Apr
derbytheatre.co.uk
SALE, MANCHESTER
Waterside
Tue 14 & Wed 15 Apr
watersidearts.org
LUTON
Hat Factory Arts Centre
Sun 26 Apr
culturetrust.com
Fatima and Salima are the closest, coolest, hijab wearing step-sisters in all of Bradford and they will win the Tiny is Mighty skateboarding competition, there is no doubt about it.
They’ve practised every trick in the book, and look (almost) as good as Sky Brown, their hero, on YouTube. Nothing will stop them. Except their parents have started whispering in the kitchen about living apart… about moving to different cities… only seeing each other in school holidays. How will they perfect their routine and win gold if their whole lives are about to turn 360 too? Only the greatest super plan ever concocted will help them achieve their dreams.
Inspired by real-life skateboarding sisters Layna, Maysa and Amaya, and their hero Olympic medallist Sky Brown.
Asif wrote Sisters360 with his own young children in mind and the lack of representation in theatre, particularly in children’s theatre.
“As a parent, you worry about the challenges our children face, which we ourselves faced when we were kids. One of which I only fully understood as an adult, was the effects of never seeing myself represented. All the ‘cool’ people on television, sport, music, films, plays, never included anyone who looked like me. This led me to believe that being ‘brown’ and being a ‘Muslim’ was not cool. I felt embarrassed and ashamed about my background, with low self-confidence I just desperately wanted to fit in. This is something I never want my kids to feel. Because there is a lack of stories for children involving British Muslim characters, I thought – why not write some myself?”
The story is inspired by three real-life sisters from Hull known as the “hijabi sisters”. Through their passion for skateboarding (inspired by Olympic medallist Sky Brown) they have broken all kinds of stereotypes about Muslim girls, particularly hijab-wearing girls. We discovered them through a BBC article and got in touch with their mother, who agreed to speak to playwright Asif Khan for an interview. This became the inspiration for Sisters 360.
A Polka Theatre, AIK and Turtle Key Arts co-production, in association with Leeds Playhouse.