Gerda's ground-breaking tale is brought to life

It’s not surprising then that theatre group Idle Motion has decided to use snapshots as the central theme in its latest show, Shooting with Light, which is coming to The Spring, Havant, next month.

The play is set during 1933 and documents the true story of young Jewish German refugee, Gerda Taro.

Taro fled to Paris and became caught up in a stormy affair with the famous war photographer, Robert Capa.

Taro taught Capa how to reinvent himself during the war and in return he showed her how to use a camera.

The play brings to life the brutality of the Spanish Civil War where Taro became the first female photojournalist to die taking pictures from the front line.

Sophie Fullerlove, director of The Spring, said: ‘I am delighted that Idle Motion are returning to The Spring after bringing such a fantastic show to us in 2014.

‘Their visual theatre is beautiful to watch and tells incredible stories.

‘I would urge theatre lovers not to miss it.’

The play offers a kind of flashback sequence, jumping in and out of the past and shows how Taro became fearless in exposing the horrors she encountered.

Fast forward 70 years to Mexico City and a suitcase is found containing 4,500 lost negatives.

The pictures unlock the work of Taro, who had been living in the shadow of her former lover, Capa.

The play reveals how he had often passed off her photos as his own.

The discovery led to Taro becoming a ground-breaking historical figure.

Gerda Taro’s heartwarming story is captured using a mix of physical theatre, intriguing staging and multimedia backdrops.

Shooting With Light is on October 6 at 7.30pm.

To book tickets go to thespring.co.uk.

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