Sisters

Synopsis

Listen. This is what it’s like to be a Muslim woman in Britain today. Based on interviews with dozens of women from across the country and around the Sheffield, Stephanie Street’s new play lifts the veil on a world of custom and tradition. Sisters exposes the human stories at the heart of the Muslim community, cutting through the stereotypes and bringing a chorus of voices to life on stage. A poignant, surprising and insightful journey into the lives of Muslim women.

Our Review:

16 March 2010

Sisters opens with a traditional English living room scene; a chintzy floral sofa, a worn, enveloping armchair and the blaring tones of the television. This could be any suburban front room, until we see an array of framed photos suspended from the ceiling; all depicting Muslim women in their traditional hijab clothing.

A young Pakistani woman enters, Lena Kaur, introducing herself as Meena and shaking hands with audience members. Four other women sit casually on the sofa, and in the course of the evening, the five cast members each deftly play a number of characters, neatly differentiated by minimal costume changes, like the addition of sunglasses, a hooded top or a jilbab.

Stephanie Street’s play is based entirely on transcripts from interviews with Muslim women across the UK. Local references such as Meadowhall’s derogatory nickname “Meadowhell” help bring the play’s issues home for the Sheffield audience.

Material from dozens of interviews could have ma...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

No reviews yet

Click here to add your review