The Apollo Theatre in Newport is to welcome ex-Land Girl Doris, 96, to the audience of their production of ‘Lilies on the Land’ – which tells the stories of a group of women who worked on the land during World War II. Doris, known as Dot, joined the land girls at the age of 17 and moved to Bedfordshire to help with the war effort and she is looking forward to attending the matinee with her friend Violet, aged 100 years old, and celebrating the hard work and achievements of young women during the war. Director Chris Hicks said:
“We are delighted and honoured that a genuine Land Girl has been able to come to our production. We hope that she will be reminded of the good times she and her amazing colleagues enjoyed during those years when they were instrumental in supporting the war effort. “Their achievements and their essential work will always be remembered – and perhaps our play will help those who don’t know much about the WLA to find out more.”
The play is focused on the lives of 4 women – Vera, Margie, Poppy and Peggy – and tells of their experiences as members of the Women’s Land Army (WLA) in World War II. Their stories, interspersed with songs from that era, tell a story of women who stepped into the breach; paid little, often under-appreciated and ill-prepared but nevertheless retaining their camaraderie and sense of the importance of their role to the war effort. “Lilies on the Land” was devised and written by The Lions part, a London-based group of professional actors who wanted to stage a play giving voice to the wartime experiences of women. They realised that they knew very little about the extraordinary role the Women’s Land Army played in World War II, known as the ‘forgotten army’, so they advertised in Saga magazine asking for any readers with experience of the WLA to get in touch. They were overwhelmed with over 150 letters and responses, and subsequently the experiences of those women became the heart of the play. You can catch ‘Lilies on the Land’ at the Apollo Theatre on 22nd-30th March (matinee on Saturday 23rd; no performances Sunday or Monday). Book online at www.apollo-theatre.org.uk or ring the box office on (01983) 210010.
