Inside The Wire: Hillsborough: A boys story of a tragedy

So where do I begin to try to explain this roller coaster ride that has turned my life on its head and has made me truly believe that dreams can come true?

As a teenager I went to see Blood Brothers on stage and it blew me away. Not only could I relate to the characters because they were talking like I do, but because I could see myself, my family and friends on stage being portrayed by the actors. I felt a part of their journey, the happy and sad experiences that were unfolding before me. That performance has stayed with me forever.

Fast forward many years and many different jobs later to present day and what’s happened to me in the meantime.

While I was a teacher and had written my first three children’s books, I was giving a reading to children at the Toxteth Library in Liverpool. I got talking about football to a lady that worked there and she told me about her auntie and her children from Bath. They had visited Anfield and eventually arrived at the Hillsborough Memorial. Both her children asked her what it was for, and amazingly, ‘or so I thought’ she didn’t know what it was commemorating.

I decided to write a book telling the story of Hillsborough, but it was to be written as a children’s book, for children. My thinking being, if you can educate the up and coming generations, then that’s enough as they will spread the word and pass it on, hopefully to their elders.

The book was a great success and is used by Ian Byrne MP and the LFC Foundation to teach children the meaning of Hillsborough and also to try and eradicate tragedy chanting. It is now in all Merseyside region schools and is helping to educate.

However. I wanted more from it, I wanted to target an older audience too. I’d never forgotten my dream of putting on a play that makes the audience feel like I did when I first watched Blood Brothers.

So I put it to Kevin Roach, my publisher. I was surprised when he said, yes, we can do that. So the journey began, firstly we got Zara Marie Brown on board, as director. I was also surprised when I pitched it to her and she said, yes, we can do that. Where have these people been all my life?

The dream begins. I sat in a room that was full of actors who had come to audition for MY play! I had to pinch myself, these talented actors are here because of what I’d written. I couldn’t get my head around it.

Eventually we got the cast, although I wanted to say yes to all of them. Then the journey took me to rehearsals where I learnt a lot of new terminology regarding acting. An eye opener to watch the actors become someone else in front of me. Voices change, demeanour changes, facial expressions, the lot. I couldn’t believe the changes they made right in front of my eyes. Truly exceptional cast. I also feel as though I was easy going, I was open for suggestions from the cast to tweak the script which they did here and there.

So after many hours of rehearsals, interviews and leaflet drops. The BIG day arrived.

To say it was surreal is an understatement. Just seeing posters advertising my play in shop windows, being invited onto radio shows, journalists coming in to film and interview me, it was crazy. These things don’t happen to me. Well they never used to!

I wanted each and every member of the audience to be able to relate to the characters just like I had. I put everything into the script in order for them to become real and believable.  So sitting in a packed theatre waiting for the opening scene, my mind was everywhere. Not least with my Mam and Dad, who had been there when I saw Blood Brothers but sadly not this time. I sat talking to them both in my head and I’m sure I felt them sitting with me. It was a very emotional time for me.

Then the dark stage is lit by a solitary stage light and ‘Dad’ begins to speak. I sat and watched not only the play, but the audience. I was desperate for them to ‘feel it’. I was happy when they laughed, gasped and cried where I thought they should have. They were all on board with it and completely enthralled. The actors had done their job and delivered lines with feeling, humour and tragedy.

To sit and watch a play is a magical experience, to sit and watch a play that you wrote is another level. Knowing what each actor was going to say next, because you wrote it. That is a feeling that I can’t explain. It’s like an out of the body experience. I could see myself sitting there captivated by what was happening on the stage, but the other me was thinking, this can’t be real, this is more of a dream than reality.

As I looked left and right I watched my wife and children as they all sat there watching and listening to the performance. I can honestly say that it was one of my most proudest moments.

At the end, the audience stood as one and gave the cast a truly deserved standing ovation that seemed to last for ever, I lost count how many times the assembled cast bowed.

My goal still remains to eradicate tragedy chanting at all football grounds for all teams who have endured a tragedy in their history regardless of their team colours or geographical position. I still feel that education is the best way to try and achieve it.

If I can teach children the meaning of the Hillsborough Tragedy and its aftermath, be it grief, loss and the anger issues that it often ensues in.

Then maybe those adults that choose to sing a tragedy song at a match may hopefully feel their sleeve being pulled and looking down at a child next to them. Who then reminds them of little Frankie from ‘that’ book that we read. “You remember, his dad went the footy, and didn’t come home. So maybe we should sing a different song today ay Dad”.

By Shaun Millea