How World War spy Noor intrigued south Asian artists
KALI THEATRE’S PLAY EXPLORES ENIGMATIC LIFE OF BRITISH RESISTANCE AGENT OF INDIAN ORIGIN
MORE than a decade ago, author and playwright Azma Dar became aware of an extraordinary female-Muslim British spy and was hooked since then.
Determined to share this tale of heroism with the world, she joined hands with established theatrical director Poonam Brah. The duo is set to present their joint work Noor at Southwark Playhouse.
Kali Theatre’s Noor revolves around the enigmatic life story of Noor Inayat Khan, the British resistance agent of Indian origin who served in the special operations in occupied France during the Second World War. She outwitted the enemy several times but ended up executed by Nazis. This compelling new play captures her intriguing complexity, selfdoubt, extraordinary courage, and why her story is so relevant to our times.
Noor will run from November 3-26. The main cast includes names like Annice Boparai in the main role along with Caroline Faber, Chris Porter, Laurence Saunders and Ellie Turner.
Talking to Eastern Eye, Dar and Brah shared in detail what pulled them towards Noor, their journey in the creation of this play and what all went into its making. “I connected with the story in many ways. As an Asian Muslim woman, I could relate to some of Noor’s experiences even though she was living in a different time. I saw her as a role model for young women today,” Dar said, adding she felt it was important to share this tale of heroism with wider audiences, and raise an awareness of the contribution made by people of colour to WW2.
“I actually first read about Noor in
Eastern Eye! Probably in 2005. I was surprised nobody had heard of her. I was fascinated and humbled by her achievements, and knew that more people needed to hear about this inspiring figure.
“I was intrigued by her character, and how a quiet, peaceful, but determined and strong-willed girl became a daring agent who outwitted the enemy on several occasions and survived longer than many of her peers,” she said.
Dar started writing the script in 2006 and was working on and off on it. “In 2014, I submitted it to the Curve Playwriting Competition where it reached the final. I invited Janet, artistic director of Kali at the time, to the reading. She couldn’t make it, but asked to see the script, and that’s how Poonam, an associate director at Kali, came across it,” she said.
Brah, on the other hand, had always been inquisitive about this unique lifetale while growing up and wanted to explore it further. “Noor was the first woman of colour I had heard of associated with WW2. What most intrigued me about her story was the fact that Noor is such a pioneer – she managed to find her own way to stand up to fascism without compromising her values.
“Then Kali Theatre handed me an earlier draft of Azma’s play in 2015 and I was hooked,” Brah told Eastern Eye.
When Dar and Brah started collaborating in 2015, they strongly felt there was an audience for her story.
“As independent female south Asian artists, we were interested in the challenge of telling Noor’s bigger biographical story ourselves in an epic and ambitious way,” Brah said.
In her own life, Noor is said to have faced up to fascism with courage, resilience and imagination, evading capture longer than any of her counterparts, and was posthumously awarded the George Cross. Yet her story remains little known.
Despite her heroic tales, Noor was far from a typical spy. She was an accomplished musician and a writer of children’s stories, grounded in a deeply spiritual Sufi Muslim upbringing.
Noor is an absolutely fascinating study of female identity within a thriller, Brah said, adding that she made so many decisions that got her deeper into dangerous situations but “internally we see her grow and discover her true strengths”.
Actress Boparai fitted well into what Dar and Brah had in mind. She captured the right balance of Noor’s “enigmatic character with many facets”in the audition itself and they both felt she was right.
A considerable portion of the play has scenes of violence and torture as it is impossible to ignore this part of her story.
Actress Boparai revealed to the publication the intricacies of portraying such a strong character on stage. “It’s impossible to ignore this part (torture) of Noor’s story as it’s part of her truth which is compelling to experience when she comes from a such strong pacifist background.
“Understandably, it’s not an easy place to access as an actor and the darkness in the play is something I was aware of when I auditioned for the role. But I am fortunate enough to have gone to drama school where I gained a skill set of tools to access these heightened states emotionally and physically in a safe way,” Boparai told Eastern Eye, adding that she is being supported throughout the rehearsal process by an “excellent movement director Nancy Kettle”.
“I had to keep remembering to detach myself as Annice from the character once the rehearsal is over, which sometimes can be hard when you find yourself absorbed completely in the characters’ world and headspace. But by never letting go of Noor’s light throughout internally regardless of how dark her outer circumstances is how I know I can navigate myself to successfully access these parts of her story,” Boparai said.
Being a historic subject, a lot of research went into its creation. Dar plunged herself into the study about Noor, the Second World War, special operating agents, by watching films and documentaries – contemporary, classic and historical. “We also visited the Imperial War Museum and the National Archives to look at original documents and photographs, including some of Noor’s own letters. These were invaluable in giving me an insight into her character and voice,” she said.
The cast and crew had been working and rehearsing for months on the play, undertaking several workshops.
“I find working with actors can bring out lots of things you don’t think of as a writer. I’ve been involved in the rehearsals as the script is still undergoing cuts and rewrites. When you watch the scenes it’s much easier to see what isn’t working and what needs to go,” Dar pointed out.
On being quizzed how Dar and Brah are planning to make their “Noor” stand out as from other work, including a 2019 American film made loosely on the same subject, they stated that in their play, unlike in the movie, Noor will be centre of the play and will be explored completely.
“We have looked at artists who are bringing Sufi music to a contemporary audience such as the sublime Arooj Aftab. Helen Coyston’s stage design of a broken train on a traverse stage is such a powerful and sculptural set it is an artwork in its own right. It’s very dramatic!
“Noor was very well put together and her image mattered to her a great deal, so we have a stylish film noir feel to the costumes and styling that I think she would have loved,” Brah pointed out.
Apart from being a resistance agent, Noor was also a writer and poet.
“I always wanted to make sure these aspects of Noor’s character were woven into the play as I felt they are what make her so unique, but it’s also been one of my biggest challenges. The script went through many drafts as I experimented with how to express her creativity and spirituality,” Dar said, adding that the play also features Sufi poetry written by Noor’s father, Hazrat Inayat Khan.
Brah credits MGC Bursary, Southwark Playhouse and Kali Theatres for their support. “We’ve tried to create a unique theatrical interpretation of real events, and have blended together some unusual and contrasting influences – 1940s swing and contemporary Sufi music, poetry, and film noir,” she concluded.