No Man's Land

No Man’s Land a devised play researched, written, directed and choreographed by three female students from Ormskirk School on Tuesday, 18th March 2025 at the Theatre, Ormskirk School, Wigan Road, Ormskirk

I received an invitation that asked me to attend Ormskirk School at 12.45hrs on Tuesday 18th March, 2025 to watch a ‘devised play’ which, I was told, was part of the syllabus for an examination! If I’m honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but what I probably didn’t expect, was the emotive, emotional, poignant piece of theatre, created and acted out by three amazing female students from the school.  So, what is a ‘devised play’ ... it’s a theatrical performance created collaboratively by an ensemble, without a pre-existing script, where the ensemble members serve as researchers, writers, directors, designers, choreographers and performers. 

Production Team … the three female students responsible for creating ‘No Man’s Land’ were....
Chloe Ainsworth, Hannah Arnold and Hazel Jutla and what a job they’d made. After much research, they sat down, decided, wrote and developed this play that took its inspiration from the Kurdish Women’s Army who stood up against ISIS in order to oppose terrorism, the oppression of women and the lack of educational rights.  The ‘women’s army’, who are at the centre of this play, gained a high status for being fearless in their conquest to protect future generations of women and children by fighting themselves and schooling the women who fight alongside them!  The dialogue was created using accounts from real women’s experiences.  To bring this poignant story to life, the three students applied practical theories of the physical theatre company ‘Frantic Assembly’ in order to physicalise the emotions of the characters in question! They directed and choreographed all the movement. They also played the three roles involved in the production creating three wonderful characters who worked ever so well together.  It was obvious that their research had been extensive, they created an atmosphere and a stage that not only allowed the play to flow with ease, but allowed them to bring to life the characters they’d created.  The production itself was ‘powerful’, ‘informative’, and ‘acted out to perfection’.  
OMG ladies... please be ever so proud of what you created, performed and achieved that afternoon... it was far more than I expected .... be very proud!

The Cast… as named previously, Chloe Ainsworth, Hannah Arnold and Hazel Jutla were the three cast members...  none of them having a name or a title!  Their roles were that of three female soldiers who acted out this wonderfully gripping story about the ‘all-female militia fighting force’ ... the ‘Kurdish Woman’s Army’ and the ‘Woman’s Protection Unit’ involved in the ‘Syrian Civil War’.
Hazel Jutla was the matriarch .... mother to Chloe and a mother figure, I would suggest, to Hannah.
Brave, in the end she gives up her life to save her ‘sisters in arms’.  She always carried a ‘back pack’ which held ‘all her worldly possessions’... those possession included a small container which had ‘pins’ in it, pins that had been placed in her arm after a bullet had ‘ripped’ through it; a perfume bottle from a friend who’d been killed and a journal that she completed every day, that no one, other than she, would ever read, even after her death!
Chloe Ainsworth was the resilient one, the one with a ‘burning ambition’ to join the ‘Women’s Protection Unit’. She’d never been allowed to have an education, never allowed to attend school nor enter a library; she could hardly read, yet her biggest dream, to have a daughter of her own, would never happen because she refused to bring a baby into this World as it is!  I loved the scene where Chloe sets off to join the women’s unit. Before she leaves, her mum hugs her and secretly places a letter in her ruck sack.  At a stop on her journey, she finds the letter ... we have this lovely emotional scene as she reads what ‘mum’ had written about how proud she is of her daughter!
Hannah Arnold was a ‘sister like figure’ to Chloe ... a ‘sister in arms’ I would suggest to both Hazel and Chloe. Again brave, as they all were!  Another who was never allowed to attend school, but was ‘self-taught’ using books brought home by her brothers who could attended school.
We are made aware of quotes/statements that said so much about these females ....
- ‘That’s what I’m supposed to do’ ... reference from Chloe about joining the Women Protection Units
- ‘It is better to live like a lion for one day than like a slave for ever’ a quote made by an Afghani folk heroine before her death .... which was used as a kind of ‘mantra’ by the three girls in the play.

To sum up.... we had three totally believable characters created, who all worked their ‘socks off’ throughout this play.  We had some inspirational choreographed movement that kind of ‘interlinked/intertwined’ the three girls throughout the production. I really did feel that all these movements had meaning... I felt it created a sense of connection, unity, a sense of shared storytelling that enhanced and added an emotional impact to the narrative... this story, this play really did have meaning and emotion for me!

Set/Tech/Staging ... was very basic, just rostra, which afforded everything the girls needed to keep the production flowing.  Loved the littered floor with book pages to perhaps represent stories told or yet to be told and the roses and rose petals to suggest lives and deaths.  It all added so much to everything... and it all worked ever so well.

Lighting and Sound ...  lighting was basic but used well as was the sound, used for effects and musical interludes ... both under the watchful eye of the experienced Sam Robinson (Lighting/Sound)

Wardrobe... Military Styled/Combat uniforms used throughout.  Looked perfect for the era and which again enhanced the production.

Props... sourced well, used well... again adding so much to the overall production.

All I can say is ‘thank you’ to the three students for wanting a NODA presence and to the school for allowing me to attend and see, first hand, this emotive story and the amazing cast who set out and achieved so much.  Thank you for allowing me to speak and interact with the cast during the breaks,
I really do feel privileged to have seen this, honestly, I loved it... well done Chloe, Hannah and Hazel, great job ... be very proud!

Stay safe, keep well…
‘Stronger Together’
Jim Briscoe
NODA NW
District 6 Rep

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