Written by Natalie’s former classmate, the play aims to highlight the ongoing issue with femicide here in Northern Ireland
A former classmate of Natalie McNally has penned a new play to highlight femicide in Northern Ireland and raise money for Women’s Aid.
Dark Forest Theatre’s upcoming production ‘I, She, Medusa’ centres around gender-related violence in NI and is set within a surreal world where the character of Medusa come to terms with what has happened to her and the trauma that women experience.
Written and co-directed by Nathan Martin, who went to school with Natalie, it will be staged at Lurgan Town Hall on Feburary 21 where 100% of ticket sales will go to support Women’s Aid Armagh.
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It will also be performed at the MAC Belfast on February 26 and 27 where a portion of all tickets sold will also be donated to Women’s Aid Belfast.
Natalie McNally was 32 when she was stabbed and killed at her home in Lurgan, Co Armagh, on December 18 2022. She had been 15 weeks pregnant.
Her partner, Stephen McCullagh, has been charged with her murder and will go on trial on February 16 2026. He denies the charges against him.
Writer and director Nathan Martin 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.”
Established in 2023, Dark Forest Theatre is an independent, travelling theatre company based in the heart of Northern Ireland, dedicated to the craft of authentic and compelling storytelling, with a focus on creating work that is emotionally resonant.
A description of the show reads: “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.
“But 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.
“‘I, She, Medusa is an original piece was created to highlight the ongoing crisis of violence against women in Northern Ireland.
“It seeks to give voice to those we have lost and to honour the strength and resilience of those who endure. Developed and directed by Nathan Martin the artistic team is completed with Heather Martin as co-director and Christine Clark as stage Manager.”
For tickets for the Lurgan charity performance, see here. For tickets for the Belfast performances, see here
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