White Rose

Borders-based theatre company Firebrand returns to the Tron with Peter Arnott's highly acclaimed tale of celebrated female Russian World War II fighter pilot Lily Litvak, the so-called 'White Rose of Stalingrad'. White Rose, unseen since its hugely successful debut at the 1985 Edinburgh Festival, is a powerful triangular love story about men and women fighting in the air, on the ground and in the bedroom. Read more …

One thousand extremely talented women pilots volunteered for the Red Air Force during the Second World War. An impressive thirty Citations of Hero of the Soviet Union went to women pilots, and three regiments of the Air Force were made up entirely of women, some of whom, like Lily, became legendary combat pilots.

Seen from the point of view of Lily and her mechanic Ina, two women in a male-dominated world, White Rose offers an insight into modern warfare and addresses concepts of patriotism that as relevant today as they were then, within an exciting, moving and thought-provoking theatrical experience.

The critical consensus

White Rose is a powerful drama that requires powerful performances, and director Richard Baron is well served in this department by a fine cast.

Alan Chadwick, STV, 28/02/2013

Given an overdue revival by director Richard Baron for the Borders-based company Firebrand, the play comes across like an unusually urgent theatre-in-education piece, packed with facts and passion.

(*) (*) Mark Fisher, The Guardian, 27/02/2013

The full historic weight and significance of the story somehow seems to escape Richard Baron’s young acting company.

(*) (*) Joyce McMillan, 28/02/2013

This play, under the smooth direction of Richard Baron, is a fitting and timeous spotlight on yet more forgotten women whose important roles in life and history have been redacted.

(*) (*) Irene Brown, Edinburgh Guide, 14/03/2013

Energetic performances from all three actors deliver nuanced and rich characters.

(*) Emma Hay, TVBomb, 16/03/2013