“Nora, A Belizean Musical”

Sixty-three years after Nora Parham became the first and only woman executed in Belize, her story is being retold on the international stage through music and theatre. Two Belizean students studying in the United States, Alysia Norales and Cameron Tillett, have spent the past five years developing a full-scale production titled “Nora, A Belizean Musical”, inspired by Parham’s life and the events surrounding her 1963 execution in what was then British Honduras.

Parham, who was convicted of killing her policeman partner, was posthumously pardoned and honoured by the Government of Belize in 2022, reigniting national discussions about justice and gender-based violence. Now, her story is reaching audiences abroad.

“We are taking Belize to the international stage through musical theatre,” Norales and Tillett said. “For the past five years we’ve been working on Nora. The musical Nora is based on the real-life figure Nora Parham and the true historical events that took place in British Honduras in 1963. If you don’t know her story, Nora Parham was the first and last woman in British Honduras to be sentenced to death.”

The pair explained that Parham was “the victim of domestic abuse and was wrongfully tried based on unverified claims.” They noted that “her jury consisted of 12 men who asked for her mercy. The people of British Honduras protested and signed petitions, which led to George Price trying to negotiate her fate. But all attempts failed and were denied by Peter Stallard, the British governor.”

Through “Nora, A Belizean Musical”, the young creatives hope to reframe Parham’s legacy as a symbol of resilience and a reminder of the need for justice.