Production of female spies in WWII ends with shows in Regina

The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare is showing at Darke Hall in Regina. (Photo credit: dbphotographics)

A new production that tells the story of the work of female spies during WWII is in Regina.

The show is called ‘The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ and is based on a true story of female spies during the war and their contribution they made, shaping our way of life today.

“Stories about women who have overcome obstacles, story about women, who are, you know, experts at what they do. They were underestimated in the war time. Evelyn Ash in our play is based off of Vera Atkins, who advocated for getting women in the field and for training them as spies,” said Tahirih Vejdani, a cast member in the production.

The show will be happening in Regina at Darke Hall every day up until Remembrance Day.

“We feel the gravity of playing these roles and telling these stories at any point in the year, and especially this point in the year where you can feel the gravity of the decision to go to war, the bravery to go to war, the loss and the grief that is so heavy in the air at this time of year,” said Amanda Trapp, a cast member in the show.

The production consists of seven cast members with three of them being from Saskatchewan, including Vejdani, who is from Regina.

“I’m from Regina. I grew up in Regina. I went to elementary and high school. I graduated from the U of R. I even took private voice lessons here in this building (Darke Hall).”

Vejdani plays the role of Anna Sidiqui who is an expert code breaker and radio operator. The character gets recruited in England and then deployed to France in World War II.

For Trapp, who plays Betty Anderson, the explosions expert, Trapp shares similarities to her character.

“Betty Anderson is very similar to me. She is also from Saskatchewan, which is a fun treat for audiences. She is half crazy like I am. She survived residential school and now finds herself overseas trying to fight for Churchill’s special operations executive as a spy,” explained Trapp.

Trapp said this is the fifth time she has performed in this production as Anderson.

“For a period of a few months, four times before this, I’ve worked on this show and this character. Collectively, I’ve spent a year of time preparing for this in a way,” she said.

The cast and crew have been taking this production on tour across Canada.

“This is our final week of the tour, but we performed in Edmonton, and we went to Vernon B.C. We just finished a fantastic run in Saskatoon at the Persephone Theatre,” said Vejdani.

The show will be held until Nov. 10. Tickets are available on Darke Hall’s website.