
'No Guts, No Heart, No Glory' opened in the final week of the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Pictured are the cast (from left to right) Freyaa Ali, Mariam Rashid, Nayab Din, Seherish Mahmood and Saira Tabasur. They are college and university students, most of whom had never performed in front of an audience before. Their real life stories and experiences are woven into the play.

Freyaa Ali says her parents are supportive of her decision to box. The 18-year-old aspires to study medicine and would like to carry on acting at university.

"No Guts, No Heart, No Glory" incorporates boxing, dancing, stamping, swearing and even crowd surfing. Ali explained that one girl couldn't participate because her relatives disapproved of the dancing.

The director of the play Evie Manning was inspired to develop the show after her niqab wearing Iraqi neighbor explained she was part of an all women boxing gym.

"When we performed in Bradford we were all quite apprehensive about what people would say, but people were literally blown away by it... Evie's neighbour came to see the show wearing a full burka and niqab -- and she was like 'whoa, this is amazing'" said Ali.

Written by Aisha Zia, the show is partly inspired by former UK national champion Ambreen Sadiq who experienced bullying and racism on her way to the top. Since she started eight years ago she's seen attitudes change -- people who originally told her she couldn't box have become big fans of the show.

The 20-year-old Sadiq was the first Asian Muslim female to box in the UK, and now also does personal training and coaching for others. After experiencing discrimination she is passionate about equality. "If I see a girl training or a boy training or a little kid training I look at each one of them equally, I look at them all as boxers and I wouldn't treat them differently to anyone else."

The show takes place in and around a boxing ring with audience members free to walk around and follow the action. The play also addresses the pressures of being young, highlighting worries about future relationships and career paths.

"Its all about being young, being out there, and having the strength to stand up" said Ali.