''Zigger Zagger'' is a 1967 play by

Peter Terson Peter Terson (born Peter Patterson; 16 February 1932 – 8 April 2021) was a British playwright whose plays have been produced for stage, television and radio. Most of his theatre work was first produced at the Victoria Theatre in Stoke-on-Tren ...

which was the first work to be commissioned by the

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and registered charity in London. Its aim is to develop and nurture young people through creative arts and theatrical productions. Founded in 1956 as the world's first youth th ...

who revived it at

Wilton's Music Hall Wilton's Music Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Shadwell, built as a music hall and now run as a multi-arts performance space in Graces Alley, off Cable Street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is one of very few surviving music ...

in 2017 for its 50th anniversary.''Zigger Zagger''
-

website Described as a "football opera" in which the cast sing and chant like a

Greek chorus A Greek chorus, or simply chorus ( grc-gre, χορός, chorós), in the context of ancient Greek tragedy, comedy, satyr plays, and modern works inspired by them, is a homogeneous, non-individualised group of performers, who comment with a collect ...

, the play was an instant success.September 1967: A new playwright scores with a tale of the terraces
- ''

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'' The production was directed by

Michael Croft John Michael Croft, OBE (8 March 1922 – 15 November 1986) was an English actor, schoolteacher, and writer. Based upon his own experience of supply teaching in tough secondary schools, he wrote the controversial 1954 anti- corporal punishment ...

while the musical director was Colin Farrell. A chant sung in the play, ''Zigger Zagger, Zigger Zagger, oi, oi, oi!'', a variant of the '' Oggie Oggie Oggie'' chant, was adopted by fans of several football clubs in England.

History

During its first years, the

(NYT) under its founder

had mainly performed the plays of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

and the Classics but on a visit to the Victoria Theatre in

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

Croft saw

's musical adaptation of

Arnold Bennett Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 – 27 March 1931) was an English author, best known as a novelist. He wrote prolifically: between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays (some in collaboratio ...

's short story ''Jock-on-the-Go''. Impressed by Terson's non-patronising writing for young performers, Croft immediately commissioned him to pen the first play to be specially written for the NYT, stating only that the new work would have to include a large cast. Two months later Terson sent Croft the first draft of ''Zigger Zagger'' and with it included a note that read: "At first I thought it was great, but then I was struck with the thought, 'Who's interested in football nowadays – it's square!' But if you are interested in the idea and put your own schemes forward, I am still keen to work on it." Croft himself was a football fan and was keen to put on the work which explored the themes of

football hooliganism Football hooliganism, also known as soccer hooliganism, football rioting or soccer rioting, constitutes violence and other destructive behaviours perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism normally involves ...

and

tribalism Tribalism is the state of being organized by, or advocating for, tribes or tribal lifestyles. Human evolution has primarily occurred in small hunter-gatherer groups, as opposed to in larger and more recently settled agricultural societies or civ ...

and the hopelessness of life for many teenagers in 1960s society. Croft wrote of the play: "''Zigger Zagger'' showed the dismal prospect awaiting the average lad, the narrow limits of his opportunity, the tiredness and cynicism of the adults in authority over him." Zigger Zagger! Oi! Oi! Oi! How football's first musical kicked off
- ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

'', 1 September 2017 Croft set the action in a specially constructed football stand upstage with a constantly present crowd of football fans who acted as a

- shouting at the audience, singing between scenes and taking part in the action. The whole cast was on stage throughout the performance, with performers stepping out from the crowd to perform their scenes and then returning to it when not involved in the action. The play, with its cast of 90 and an average age of 17, was gradually formed during the four-week rehearsal period of improvisation and workshopping with Terson rewriting the dialogue "where he felt lines could be improved to suit the actor, and sometimes adding

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where the actor's own personality sparked off fresh ideas about the part he was playing." The original script was modified right up until opening night. The National Youth Theatre's original production of ''Zigger Zagger'' opened at the Jeanetta Cochrane Theatre in August 1967 and was broadcast on television by the

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History

Synopsis

Original 1967 cast

References

External links