Irish League soccer membership Glentoran are hoping to attain massive time in a complete new ball recreation — the theatre.
For a play in regards to the east Belfast facet is about to kick off simply a few miles from their Oval stadium.
The manufacturing, entitled One Saturday Earlier than the Battle, tells the story of how the Glens gained the Vienna Cup in 1914 after defeating high European sides within the Austrian capital, Prague, Berlin, Bratislava and Budapest.
The Glens’ travels happened as warfare was looming in Europe and the brand new play comes within the wake of the published of a BBC documentary in regards to the membership’s triumph, which fascinated Fifa President Gianni Infantino on a go to to the Oval in March 2020.
He was intrigued to listen to how 13 Glentoran gamers, most of them employed in Belfast’s shipyards, took two weeks off work to compete within the Vienna Cup on the invitation of the organisers just some years after the sinking of the Titanic, the manufacture of which lots of them had labored on.
Glentoran just lately added a gold star above the crest on their jersey in recognition of the Vienna Cup win, which they’ve heralded as the primary European trophy lifted by a British facet in Europe.
The celebratory play is being staged by the Vibrant Umbrella Drama Firm at its Sanctuary Theatre on Castlereagh Avenue, Belfast, from October 6 to October 15.
Creative director Trevor Gill has written the play together with Glentoran historian and fan Sam Robinson, who has additionally printed a e-book in regards to the Vienna Cup victory.
Sam additionally writes rock songs with Belfast-born musician and fellow Glenman Ricky Warwick, who stated: “That is my first ever play and it’s been an actual journey. It’s a improbable acknowledgement by Vibrant Umbrella of an amazing story which all of the individuals of east Belfast needs to be happy with, not simply Glentoran supporters.”
Trevor stated: ”It’s an actual privilege for us to inform a narrative that's so rooted on this a part of the town. And our theatre is just a brief distance away from the properties of two of the Vienna Cup gamers.”
The theatre shall be decked out with Glentoran flags and supporters are being inspired to put on the membership’s colors in the course of the manufacturing.
Trevor says: “There’ll be stomach laughs and tears and some surprises, together with the reply to the Vienna Cup’s largest thriller over what actually occurred to Leslie Murphy, the younger Glentoran goalkeeper who was ‘misplaced’ for 2 nights in Vienna.”
The four-strong solid consists of Bangor-born actor Thomas Galashan, who appeared in Rihanna’s music video We Discovered Love, which was filmed in Northern Eire, and Armagh actor Jack Watson, who starred in HBO’s Sport of Thrones and the ITV drama Torvill & Dean.
Additionally becoming a member of them is singer and actor Philippa O’Hara, from Belfast, who alongside together with her sister Jolene kind a preferred duo referred to as O’Hara.
Rounding out the solid is Forrest Bothwell, from Dundalk, who's at the moment finding out drama on the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and who's filming the second collection of the Second World Battle drama World On Hearth in Northern Eire for the BBC.
One Saturday Earlier than the Battle, by Sam Robinson and Trevor Gill, runs from October 6 to fifteen on the Sanctuary Theatre, Castlereagh Avenue. Tickets can be found from www.brightumbrella.co.uk