A powerful new drama production dedicated to the memory of Lurgan woman Natalie McNally is to highlight the ongoing scourge of femicide in Northern Ireland.

‘I, She, Medusa’ will premiere in Lurgan Town Hall as a charity performance on Saturday, February 21 and in partnership with Women’s Aid Armagh and Down with 100 per cent of ticket sales going to the charity.

The one-night performance is being staged in memory of Natalie, who was a school classmate of Nathan Martin, the artistic director of Dark Forest Theatre company.

‘I, She, Medusa’ is an original piece of work created in remembrance to all the women in Northern Ireland who have lost their lives through violence.

'I, She, Medusa' has been created to highlight the ongoing plight of violence against women in Northern Ireland. Picture: These Little Fires

placeholder image — 'I, She, Medusa' has been created to highlight the ongoing plight of violence against women in Northern Ireland. Picture: These Little Fires

Developed and directed by Nathan Martin, the artistic team is completed with Heather Martin as co-director and Christine Clark as stage manager.

Set within a surreal world, the audience will witness the character of Medusa come to terms with what has happened to her and the trauma that women experience.

Compelled to remain within her gilded prison, Medusa is trapped. To escape her reality, she retreats into games, stories, and make-believe, her only visitor the god Hermes, who humours her desires.

In the distance, the ticking of a clock grows louder – counting down to zero. Her prison begins to fracture, exposing a surreal and terrifying world beneath the surface.

The cast and crew of 'I, She, Medusa'. Picture: These Little Fires

The tragic story aims to bring a voice to those who have been lost and to honour the legacy of the strength of resilience within those left behind.

Nathan Martin – who plays Hermes – said: ‘This show will challenge me in ways that I have never experienced before. It has been the hardest to write and the hardest to develop.

"I don’t know how I will perform it with detachment but already it is the show I am already the proudest of and most afraid of.

"The play is and will always be dedicated to Natalie McNally, who has left a profound and lasting impact on all of us lucky to have known her and to all the women we have lost through abuse.”

Nathan Martin, the artistic director for Dark Forest Theatre.

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Actor Jade O’Neill, who will be performing Medusa, added: “I am both frightening and thrilled to be bringing the character of Medusa to life in this gorgeous play, my first time reading it I couldnt stop crying, this is a story that is both healing and traumatic.”

Tickets for the charity performance in Lurgan Town Hall are available from www.ticketsource.co.uk/dark-forest-theatre.

It will then have a short run at the upstairs theatre The Mac, Belfast on February 26 and 27 with a portion of the ticket sales being donated to Women’s Aid Belfast and Lisburn.

Dark Forest Theatre was established in 2023 by Nathan Martin and is an independent Northern Ireland travelling theatre company ‘dedicated to authentic and compelling storytelling, with a focus on creating work that is emotionally resonant’.

‘I, She, Medusa’ comes with a trigger warning as it contains themes of domestic abuse, violence and murder and has an age recommendation of 16+.