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More than six decades after Nora Parham was executed, her story is returning to the stage. The production, A Woman Called Nora, was written and directed by veteran Belizean theatre practitioner Ray Gongora. It revisits the events that led to Parham becoming the first and only woman executed in Belize. Parham was convicted of murdering her common-law husband, Police Constable Ketchell Trapp, who died after being badly burnt in 1963. The case was surrounded by allegations of domestic abuse and questions about whether Parham had deliberately set the fire. Despite a public petition for mercy, she was hanged on June 5, 1963. Fifty-nine years later, in 2022, Parham was granted a posthumous pardon. But for Gongora, a pardon does not go far enough. He hopes the production will help renew the call for Parham to be fully exonerated and her name cleared. He says the play is based closely on the known facts, records and accounts surrounding the case.
Ray Gongora, Play Director: “We’re looking forward to a grand presentation of the trial of Nora Parham with an objective of exoneration.”
Reporter: Is this coordination in alignment with what really and truly transpired?
Ray Gongora, Play Director: “I love that. I love that. A lot of ground work. Yes, I spent a lot of hours and money at the archives in Belize because you can’t get documentation unless you pay for it, which I didn’t mind to. These are genuine documentation, the transcript from the trial. So the script, the play, the presentation is a real raw trial. I mean, the actors that are involved, they get cold seed in the first few readings to discover what they discovered. I mean, I don’t want to give it away. Woman Called Nora is a cast of 10 dynamic actors and actresses. I have three from the diaspora and seven from Belize. We are in full swing rehearsals right now. Three mornings at 5 am on Zoom rehearsing, and we’re increasing that to four, as well as I do conduct one-on-one workshops with the cast, one-on-one on other days and at other times. So we’re looking forward to a grand presentation of the trial of Nora Parham.”
The play does more than retell a controversial part of Belizean history. It also puts domestic and gender-based violence at the centre of the conversation. Parham’s relationship with Trapp was reportedly marked by repeated abuse. Her story has since become a powerful example of how abused women were treated by the justice system at a time when domestic violence was rarely understood or openly discussed. Gongora says that part of the story remains painfully relevant. Women are still being beaten and killed by their partners, while many victims remain afraid to report what is happening inside their homes.
Ray Gongora, Play Director: “This play, I’ve had much approaches and people telling me, “Oh, you need to address gender abuse, you need to address violence, you need to address this.” This play is all about Nora. This is Nora’s opportunity to tell her story and she will tell it.”
Reporter: Have you been in contact with the family?
Ray Gongora, Play Director: “Yes, yes. I’ve had the golden opportunity to meet Kechel and Nora’s only son. He lives here in Central Florida. Yes, and he and his wife and myself, we sat down and we had a very, very healthy conversation.”
A Woman Called Nora is being presented by Optimist Club 501 Belize as part of its 2026 fundraising activities. The production is expected to tour Belize, giving audiences across the country an opportunity to revisit Parham’s case and consider the questions it still raises about justice, abuse and the treatment of women. For Gongora, the goal is not simply to entertain. It is to keep Nora Parham’s story alive and push the country to consider whether a pardon was enough, or whether she deserves a full exoneration./
English (US) ·