
Spitfire Girls
“It’s built for us, isn’t it? The Spitfire. Built for women.”
New Year’s Eve, 1959.
Decades after answering the call, two women separated by the war meet again as the rain hammers down on the windows of The Spitfire pub. As we hear their story, we’re transported back to a time when female pioneers defied expectations and soared through the skies.
Spitfire Girls is inspired by the extraordinary true stories of the women who dared to fly during WWII and the incredible bond that tied them together. Funny and heart-warming, this is an untold story of strength, courage and loss. But above all else, hope.
A wonderful new play, rich in humour and insight”
Suffolk on Stage
Truly one of those plays that will make you smile and then bring you to tears”
Ipswich 24
Price
From £19.50
Special Offers
Aged 16 to 25 Discounted tickets are available for this production on Thu 12 Jun 7.30pm for registered 16-25 members. T&Cs apply – Find Out More
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Teens Go Free: Receive one complimentary young persons ticket (13-19 years) when you book one standard ticket on Wed 18 Jun 7.30pm . Discount will be applied automatically at checkout when you add both tickets to your basket. T&Cs apply – Find Out More
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Presented by
Tilted Wig and Mayflower Southampton
Written by
Katherine Senior
Directed by
Seán Aydon
Designed by
Sarah Beaton
Age Guidance
10+
Please note, no under 5s will be admitted to the auditorium.
Access Performances
Audio Described: Sat 21 Jun 2.30pm
A Free Touch Tour is available to book at 1pm before the Audio Described performance.
Captioned: Thu 19 Jun 7.30pm
Fees and Charges
Please note there is a transaction fee of £3.50 on all payment types.
Venue
Cast
Laura Matthews
Laura trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Theatre includes: Becks in ‘Not in the Mood for Quiche Anymore’ (Barons Court Theatre), Lady Capulet/Tybalt in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (Guildford Shakespeare Company), Mandy in ‘The Full Monty’ (Mark Goucher Productions/No 1 UK Tour), Henri Bolingbroke in ‘Richard II’ (Guildford Shakespeare Company), Rachel Watson in ‘The Girl on the Train’ (The English Theatre Frankfurt), Lady Marguerite Blakeney in ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’ (Theatre Royal Bath), Cynthia/Ursula/Jenny/Tilly in ‘A Brief History Of Women’ (World Premiere in 59E59 Theater New York), Kitty in ‘Taking Steps’ (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Zoe in ‘Henceforward’ (Stephen Joseph Theatre & UK Tour), Alison in ‘No Knowing’ (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Gwendoline in ‘Earnest and The Pale Moon’ (Les Enfants Terribles at Edinburgh Festival, UK Tour and Soho Theatre), Alice in ‘Dick Whittington and His Cat’ (Salisbury Playhouse), Portia in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ (GB Theatre UK Tour), Christine Patterson in ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ (National Theatre), Xanthe in ‘We’re All In It Together’ (Theatre503), The Doctor’s Daughter in ‘London Assurance’ (National Theatre), Ensemble in ‘Ferment: Select A Quest’ (Bristol Old Vic), Brooke Ashton in ‘Noises Off!’ (Ambassadors Theatre Group/No 1 UK Tour).
Television includes: Babies (Snowed In Productions for BBC), Call The Midwife (Neal Street Productions for BBC), Eastenders (BBC), Doctors (BBC).
Film includes: ‘Pride’ (Proud Films).
Radio includes: ‘The Shape Of The Table’, ‘Falco: Poseidon’s Gold’ (both for BBC Radio).
Voiceover includes: ‘Aardman Animations’.
Katherine Senior
Katherine is an actor, writer and co-founder of Tilted Wig. She also co-founded Creative Cow in 2007 and has toured extensively with both companies for over 18 years.
Theatre credits include:
The Lover, The Private Ear and The Public Eye, The Knack, The Anniversary, Travels With My Aunt, Dumb Show, The Farmer’s Wife, Two, Look Back in Anger, The Fair Maid of the West, Hard Times, Born in the Gardens, The Rivals, Charley’s Aunt, The Merry Wives of Windsor, She Stoops to Conquer (all UK tours); A Christmas Carol (Creative Cow & Exeter Northcott Theatre); The Comedy of Errors (Edinburgh Festival); Huis Clos (Orange Tree).
Audio credits include: Doctor Who – Vortex Ice; UNIT (Big Finish).
Writing credits include: A Christmas Carol for Creative Cow & Exeter Northcott Theatre which played to full houses for their 2015 Christmas season. Dramaturg on Great Expectations in 2018 for Tilted Wig.
Spitfire Girls was developed at the National Theatre Studio as part of their Generate programme and is published and licensed by Concord Theatricals for their Samuel French imprint.
Katherine was long-listed for the Women in Theatre Lab playwriting prize 2024 as one of the UK’s most promising female playwrights.
Rosalind Steele
Theatre includes: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (West End), Fighting Irish (Belgrade Theatre),The Provoked Wife and Venice Preserved (Royal Shakespeare Company); Shakespeare in Love (Bath Theatre Royal and Tour); The Secret Garden (York Theatre Royal); The Box of Delights (Wilton’s Music Hall); William Wordsworth, Swallows and Amazons and Rogue Herries (Theatre by the Lake); Fanny Hill and The Lost World (Bristol Old Vic); As You Like It (Oxford Shakespeare Company); Father Christmas (The Lyric Hammersmith); Daisy Pulls it Off and Arabian Nights (Watermill Theatre, Newbury); We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea, Margaret Catchpole, Parkway Dreams and Sid and Hetty (Eastern Angles); The Snail and the Whale, (Tall Stories, US Tour/Broadway); The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (GB Theatre, UK Tour); Sam Rose in the Shadows, The Golden Cowpat and Tim & Light (Tucked In, UK Tour) and regular appearances at Shakespeare’s Globe as part of the Read not Dead series.
Rosalind is also a singer, musical director and composer, and has composed for Read not Dead at the Globe, GB Theatre, Tucked In Productions and Rabble Theatre Company for whom she is an associate artist, and has most recently written music for a short film.
Kirsty Cox
Kirsty Cox trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Her recent theatre work includes: Christmas Present and Correct, Houdini’s Greatest Escape, Crimes on Centre Court, A Christmas Getaway, Crimes, Camera, Action and Crimes on the Nile (New Old Friends), Our Church (The Watermill Theatre), Down To Earth, I Believe in Unicorns, Apple John, The Boy Who Climbed Into The Moon and Olive and the Dream Train (Theatre Alibi), The Odyssey and Medusa (Bristol Old Vic), 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare and Shakespeare’s Worst (Bristol Shakespeare Festival), The Macbeth Curse (Prime Theatre/Bolton Octagon), The Last Post (Kilter Theatre) and the one woman show Stalin’s Daughter (Blue Brook Productions).
She is a regular performer with street theatre company, The Naturals, and the comedy improvisation group, Instant Wit.
She has recorded numerous audiobooks and also radio drama including Enchanted Isle for BBC Radio 4.
Her film and television experience includes Trollied (Sky TV), commercials for Toolstation and Visit Wales, and several independent feature films.
Jack Hulland
Theatre credits include:
Through the Looking Glass (Hedgehog Theatre/Fringe Tour), Travels With My Aunt, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Rivals, Hard Times, Look Back in Anger, Dumb Show, Lam, The Anniversary, The Knack, The Lover, The Private Ear & The Public Eye (Creative Cow/UK Tours), Much Ado About Nothing (MT Productions/Tour), The Adventures of a Bear called Paddington (Upstage Productions/UK Tour), Robin of the Wood (Northcott Theatre), The Taming of the Shrew (Forest of Dean Theatre Co/Open Air Tour), Merlin’s Dream (Northcott Theatre), Jamaica Inn (Plymouth Theatre Royal/UK Tour), An Inspector Calls, The Tempest, Cinderella, Macbeth (Buckhaven Theatre).
Film & TV credits include:
The Passion (BBC/First Choice), The Photo Man (Cavalier Productions), Wycliffe (HTV), Bugs (BBC/Carnival Films), The Vet (BBC/Ikona Films).
Vocal Credits include:
Made in Heaven (BBC Radio 4), Daddy (Channel Four/Black Watch/Stephen Cavalier).
Training:
Cygnet Training Theatre, Exeter.
Samuel Tracy
Samuel Tracy is an Actor, Theatremaker and Movement Practitioner currently based in Manchester. His training includes The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and The BRIT school for Performing Arts and Technology.
Theatre includes: LIVES (Lowry Theatre) The Gruffalo’s Child (West End/National Tour) The Tempest (Salisbury Playhouse) Billy Goats Gruff (Unicorn Theatre) Half-Empty Glasses, A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain, The Ultimate Pickle (Paines Plough Roundabout Season) WILD (The Unicorn Theatre) Romeo & Juliet (Southwark Playhouse) Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde (Rose Theatre Kingston) Sticky (Southwark Playhouse) Zigger Zagger (Wilton’s Music Hall) Orfeo (Royal Opera House / Roundhouse) Because of you (Hampton Hill Theatre)
Film/Television includes: Woke Overnight (BBC)
Production Images

Photography by Ant Robling

Photography by Ant Robling.

Photography by Ant Robling.

Photography by Ant Robling.

Photography by Ant Robling.

Photography by Ant Robling.