KAITE O’REILLY has written and co-directed this inspirational piece of theatre in which a cast of just three women bring to life the secret operation, codenamed The Beauty Parade, through song, music, acting and a unique blend of mime and sign language.

Deeply moving, it’s a compelling collaboration between deaf and hearing artists, which tells the story of a little-known element of the British war effort against fascism.

Visual language creator Sophie Stone is flight officer Atkinson, a former field agent in occupied Europe, who narrates the story through a mix of narration and a blend of mime and sign language.

Clad in RAF uniform, she regretfully tells of the short training period the French-speaking women undertake before being dropped by parachute into occupied France. Regretful, because the lifespan of an agent in the field before capture and death is six weeks, a week less than their training period.

In a real tour de force, Anne-Marie Piazza and Georgina White poignantly re-enact the terrifying experience of the brave women agents, while also singing and playing the piano, cello, accordion and keyboards.

The interaction between the three women, the backdrop and music and sound effects as they tell and sing of the terror of falling from an aircraft as they are parachuted into France after only seven weeks of training is striking.

In a heart-rending finale, both women sing of their capture, torture and death. Their families cannot be told of their exploits, or how they died, an emotional ending which has some of the audience in tears.

The production ends soon but it surely merits a revival in the near future.

Runs until March 14, box office: wmc.org.uk