The theatre productions giving Muslims a voice in Pantomime

British pantomime and theatre culture is often not synonymous with Islamic values, which can lead to underrepresentation of the faith. Three Muslim pioneers in the theatre industry explain how Muslim pantos and nativities fuse both cultures to provide accurate Muslim representation.

The cast of Cinder’Aaliyah: The Great Muslim Panto. Image via PennyAppeal

As a Muslim child from a South-Asian background, Lubna Saleh never believed she could be involved in pantomime, theatre, or even the media industry in general. Reading and watching tales of fairytale princesses – common stories on panto stages – she did not identify with any of the characters’ outer appearances.

“There weren’t a lot of Disney princesses who looked like us,” says Saleh. “We had Princess Jasmine of course, but not everyone looks like Jasmine, not everyone can wear what Jasmine wears. You couldn't really identify with them because your culture or faith wasn't aligned with theirs. So, you didn't feel like you belong,” she says.

Characterised by slapstick comedy, extravagant costumes, and sexual innuendos, pantomime culture has been on British stages since the late 1600’s. But often, these aspects are not inclusive to the Muslim community, who avoid wearing revealing clothing and consuming content of a sexual nature. Muslim creatives like Saleh are now calling for change. Acting in the UK’s first Muslim pantomime this year, she seeks to provide a positive representation of Muslim women that she feels is needed on stage.

Serena Khan (left) and Lubna Saleh (right) on stage at Cinder’Aaliyah. Image via PennyAppeal

This winter, ‘Cinder’Aaliyah: The Great Muslim Panto’ made its debut on various stages, touring cities such as London, Manchester, and Birmingham. The story puts a cultural twist on the classic fairytale Cinderella - with a young Pakistani woman, Cinder’Aaliyah, facing hardships from her evil stepmother and stepsisters. The pantomime is funded by the charity PennyAppeal, who have been running these shows since 2017 to raise funds for their winter campaigns. There is now talk of adding more tour dates later this January due to the show’s popularity, after nearly 10,000 tickets sold out in the first 24 hours of release.

The show’s use of hijab-wearing main characters is hardly seen in theatre, according to Saleh, who plays the role of one of the evil stepsisters. She believes it is important to have outwardly appearing Muslim characters on stage after receiving audience feedback. “Somebody said they took their daughter to a Disney princess thing, but there was no Muslim representation,” she says. “But with Cinder’Aaliyah the children were excited to hear their names or the names of people they knew on stage. Or to see a brown woman in a hijab and think they can be a princess too, or they can be Cinder’Aaliyah too, because she looks like them,” she explains.

The National Theatre’s pledge to increase ethnic and gender diversity on their stages shows that there is more to be done in terms of diversity in the industry. By March 2022, they hope to have 20% of writers who will be Black, Asian, or Ethnically diverse, 20% of directors from this group, and at least 25% of their performers on stage. Although they hit this target in 2019 to 2020 with 22% of writers and 35% of performers being from a minority ethnic group, only 10% of show directors were ethnically diverse. The lower proportion of those from minority ethnic backgrounds in comparison to white crew members shows there is still an issue with diversity.

Among those who believe they aren’t given opportunities in theatre is Jaffer Ali Hussain, who played the role of the King’s Guard in Cinder’Aaliyah. “I still think unfortunately, structurally and systemically, people like us can't perform in theatres,” he says. “I think what [the director] did by presenting us with this opportunity and giving it to people like myself, who have never done theatre before, is very brave,” he explains.

Jaffer Ali Hussain on stage at Cinder’Aaliyah. Image via Penny Appeal

As someone who sees theatre-acting as a side project to his role in youth work, Hussain believes that theatre productions run by people from ethnically or religiously diverse backgrounds often face some misconceptions. “Because it's a brown or Muslim performance, some people might think it's not going to be as high quality. You hear that about general stuff, like charities that are led by brown or Muslim people being not as high a quality as charities run by white people or private businesses,” he says.

By introducing the idea of Islam in a classic fairytale, Hussain believes Cinder’Aaliyah helps Muslim children be more involved in British culture. “It gave people an opportunity to really look at it and say yes, I can be Muslim, and I can be having a laugh and a joke. And I can be listening to verses from the Quran,” he says. “[Muslim] children start to see that you can combine comedy and an enjoyment with seriousness and Islam. It’s like such a beautiful crossover,” he explains.

Another group looking to increase Muslim representation using classic British culture is the Khayaal Theatre Company, based in Luton. Visiting schools and community groups to perform Muslim wisdom tales and productions for nearly 25 years, the group seek to inspire a range of audiences from different socio-economic groups with virtues of love, determination, and generosity.

Luqman Ali, founder of Khayaal, is motivated to “dispel misconceptions” and celebrate the liberty and civilizational values of Islamic cultures by introducing Muslim tales on stage, he says. He would like to counteract the negative portrayal he often saw in film as a young man. “Muslim characters have been pilloried and typecast as villains or terrorists, using so many different negative tropes, right since the time of Marlowe and Shakespeare,” he says. He explains that throughout his career, he realised audiences would like to learn more about Muslim cultures: “British audiences relish the opportunity to see beyond the headlines to actually experience the humanity of Muslims and Islamic cultures. They find this a horizon broadening experience… for themselves and for their humanity.”

The Muslim Nativity being performed on stage. Image via Khayaal Theatre Company

This winter, the company performed ‘Jesus Christ, A Muslim Nativity’ online, exploring the role of Jesus as a prophet in Islam. Ali explains that telling these old Islamic tales in the language of pantomime or nativities blends Muslim cultures with classic British culture for Muslim children. “A nativity or Muslim nativity is very important, because it helps to situate them where they are and give them a sense of belonging, while also showing and giving them a voice with which to dialogue with Christian communities,” he says.

For Saleh, Hussain, and Ali, creating a space for Muslims on stage is a great move towards wider representation in society. “Every Muslim family goes through Christmas in this country, you can't avoid it. You listen to Christmas music for almost six weeks. If you don't have a voice in what is the biggest holiday period in this country, you're always going to be on the margins,” says Ali. This is what each of them are providing as they pursue their roles in the theatre industry.