Austin Peay graduate students producing original musical on Belizean unrest

By: Colby Wilson March 25, 2026

APSU graduate students Cameron Tillett and Alysia Norales, the creators behind the upcoming “Nora, A Belizean Musical.” The production tells the story of Nora Parham, a Belizean woman wrongfully executed in 1963, and the protests her death sparked. | Photo by Sean McCully.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Two Austin Peay State University graduate students are making history by creating what is believed to be the first international Belizean musical — and it will premiere on campus this May.

“How do you find time to do this?” is a natural question when sitting down with Alysia Norales and Cameron Tillett to discuss their unique Austin Peay experiences. Being a quantitative methods master’s student is hard enough; now you’re putting together a thought-provoking musical about a pivotal moment in your country’s history?

“We love Nora,” Tillett said. “The time we spend on it, we know it’s going to be worth it, no matter how stressed we are. People are going to be really proud of what we show them.”

The “Nora” in question is Nora Parham, a Belizean woman wrongfully executed in 1963 for the alleged murder of her abusive husband. Norales and Tillett, both pursuing master’s degrees in predictive analytics at Austin Peay, have spent five years developing a musical based on her story, bringing a powerful tale six decades in the making to light in Nora, A Belizean Musical.

The story begins with a domestic dispute in 1963, when Belize was still the British colony of British Honduras. Parham threw a kerosene-filled iron at her husband during an argument, then fled upstairs. Her partner, a police officer named Ketchell Trapp, went outside to smoke and accidentally ignited himself with the spilled kerosene. On his deathbed, Trapp cleared his wife of any wrongdoing, stating it was an accident.

Despite this testimony, colonial authorities put Parham on trial before an all-male jury. Though the jury found her guilty, they requested mercy, citing her eight children aged 16 months to 16 years. The British council ignored the plea and sentenced her to death.

The decision sparked unprecedented protests throughout British Honduras, with future Prime Minister George Price writing directly to Queen Elizabeth II requesting clemency. The Queen's pardon arrived a week after Parham had already been executed.

"A lot of people don't know about Nora Parham's story, and we wanted to share that with as many people in the world as possible," said Norales, who first learned the story from Tillett five years ago.

Tillett discovered the story through his mother, who found it while pursuing a law degree.

"She was probably in her 40s when she first heard this story," Tillett said. "It's one of those things where history kind of gets forgotten because things aren't documented properly."

The musical presents unique challenges, blending traditional Belizean music styles like Brukdown and Punta with theatrical elements.

"We try to put Belizean roots in it because this is a Belizean story," Norales said. "But when it comes to making a musical, you have to also have the theatric element."

Their biggest challenge came when creating darker songs for tragic moments. Traditional Belizean music rarely uses minor chords, with most songs remaining bright and upbeat regardless of their lyrics.

"We searched every resource trying to find a song with a minor chord," Tillett said. "Everything's in major, everything's really bright and happy."

Norales and Tillett’s Belizean heritage is deeply reflected in “Nora, A Belizean Musical,” from the story to the songwriting choices. | Photo by Sean McCully

The students, who are the only two Belizeans on campus, came to APSU after meeting Dr. Harold Young, a former political science professor who is also Belizean. Despite lacking formal musical theater training, they've created something that has impressed faculty and captured international attention.

"When we submitted it to the [APSU] Fringe, the theater department professors were super impressed with what we made," Tillett said. "For two people with no experience at all, I think we made something magical."

A lack of formal training is not prohibitive for Tillett or Norales, who grew up in musical families with a deep background in the art. Norales was performing on national television in Belize at a young age, and Tillett was making music with siblings and friends as a child. Culturally immersed in music from their earliest memories, they learned through trial and error as they built themselves into musical forces.

The response from the Belizean diaspora around Nora has been overwhelming.

"We've been reached out to by people living in New York talking about securing venues," Norales said. "People are saying they're flying in to see it [here at Austin Peay]."

Even more poignantly, community members who knew Parham personally have responded.

"People are saying, 'Oh, I know Miss Nora. She was my neighbor. She was a really nice lady,'" Tillett said.

Parham received a posthumous pardon in 2022, with her surviving children present for the emotional ceremony. Since her execution, no woman has been sentenced to death in Belize.

An abbreviated version of Nora, A Belizean Musical will premiere at the APSU Fringe at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, in Trahern Theatre. While most speaking parts are taken, Norales and Tillett are seeking performers for male and female ensemble roles.

About the Austin Peay College of STEM

The College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) provides studies for students in the areas of agriculture, astronomy, aviation sciences, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental sciences, engineering physics, engineering technology, information technology, mathematics, medical laboratory sciences, radiologic sciences, and physics. Our outstanding, discipline-based programs are student-centered and designed to prepare students for responsible positions at all levels of research, industry, education, medicine, and government.