KIMBERLEY SYKES, PROGRAMME NOTE

FOOTBALL LIKE LIFE, LIKE THEATRE, CAN’T BE PLAYED ALONE.

IT’S NOT ABOUT ONE PLAYER, ONE PERFORMER; IT’S ABOUT A TEAM. THE LIGHTS. THE SOUND. MANAGER, DIRECTOR. THE GROUNDS, THE SET.

MAKERS OF BOOTS, WASHERS OF JERSEYS. THE BALL.

The beauty of theatre making is getting to look at something ordinary and, by that very gaze, turn it into something extraordinary.

The ball.

It’s an ordinary object. But look closer. It’s circular. It has no beginning and no end. It keeps going. It passes between people. It can move in all directions, not just in a straight line. If it hits an object it can move around it. It accumulates energy. It has direction, it negotiates, it can be gentle, it can be powerful. To me, the ball is a woman. The ball is extraordinary.

When Tara Lynne O’Neill put pen to paper, she started a ball rolling. From then until now, Rough Girls has negotiated obstacles, had many different players, grown in size and indeed, kept going.

When I was asked to be the play’s Captain, knew it was about more than football. The ball is the play. The women are always on the pitch, whether that be in the factory, the mill, home or away. The women of this play just keep going. Defending, attacking, saving, passing, moving forwards, moving backwards, shooting for the goal and then starting again. Their lives are a never-ending football match. The place is Belfast. That is their ground. The time is 1917-1921. These years are their goalposts. Always changing.

That energy of keeping going is the inspiration for this production. It’s about graft, craft and teamwork. It’s about seeing how the magic is made and recognising the people who make it. It’s about telling a story in the most honest, joyful and thrilling way. It’s eleven stories intertwined into one and every player is vital. I feel honoured to be working with such an incredible team, onstage and off. This fantastic ensemble work together on stage to tell each other’s stories and believe me, they never stop. This is ultimately what lies at the heart of the play - togetherness - and the amazing things that can be achieved when we embrace that.

Like the first all-female football team in Northern Ireland, who in 1917 stepped on to the pitch and played a game of football, we need you, the audience. We’re here to give you a good night out, a team to support, a release, a laugh, a cry - an extraordinary story. We’re passing you the ball. Keep it going.

THE PROP.

THE SPECTATORS. YOU THE AUDIENCE.

IT CAN’T BE DONE ALONE. JUST LIKE AT A MATCH, YOU’RE ALL SEATED MORE THAN LIKELY NEXT TO A STRANGER. YOU ALL SHARE THIS SPACE WITH US, THE PLAYERS.

ALL LOOKING IN THE SAME DIRECTION. FORWARD.

WATCHING US PLAY OUT SCENES. LIVE.

WE MISSED YOU.