Review: SAME TEAM, Traverse Theatre

Same Team- A Street Soccer Story is a play written by Robbie Gordon and Jack Nurse and it is created with the women of Dundee Change Centre. Based on real-life stories, Same Team is about a group of five women from different backgrounds who meet at the Change Centre and go on to represent Scotland in the Homeless World Cup.

A knowledge and interest in football is a definite must for Same Team. The team travels to Milan for the World Cup and the connection the show makes with the audience is reliant on caring about the outcome of the matches. There's a little bit of audience involvement to try and create the atmosphere of a football game as the team arrive in Milan but if you're not a sports fan, it won't be enough to win you over.

The other element of the play is the backstory of each player. Jo (Chloe-Ann Tylor) has experienced issues with addiction, The B (Hannah Jarrett-Scott) has recently been released from prison, Noor (Hiftu Quasem) has caring responsibilities for her grandfather, Sammy (Kim Allan) is a struggling single mother and Lorraine (Louise Ludgate) has a recent drastic change in circumstances due to a separation. The cast are absolutely faultless and telling these women's personal stories is where the real strength is in this play.

Same Team runs at 1hr45mins without interval but the time does fly past. The character development as they grow in confidence thanks to their bond with the game and with each other is a real joy to watch. 

Photo credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

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