a small and quiet light

'The current lifespan of an operator is six weeks. That's the most we can hope for your time out there.'

October 1943. In a small office on the Avenue Foch in Paris, a Gestapo interrogator is questioning a young woman.

As one of the secret agents of Britain's Special Operations Executive – and the first female radio operator to be sent undercover into France – she has evaded capture for far longer than most. But now she has been betrayed.

As she faces her dreadful fate, memories come crowding in – a beloved father, a thwarted lover, a gruelling journey to war, and a persistent longing for her childhood piano. What has led her here?

a small and quiet light is a gripping, intelligent play exploring the life of Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan: an extraordinarily courageous woman who paid the ultimate price for her heroic fight against fascism. Stephanie Street's play was first performed at Chichester Festival Theatre in a co-production with the Orange Tree Theatre, London, in 2026, starring Priyanga Burford and directed by Elin Schofield, before transferring to the Orange Tree.