RNLI partners with Whitby theatre company to restage the sell-out Facing The Waves show
The RNLI is set to continue its partnership with Whitby professional theatre company, Dogwood Productions, which will see its Facing The Waves musical restaged for 2027.
The show, with music from award-winning composer, Alastair Collingwood, counterpointed the life of Whitby’s iconic Victorian lifeboat hero, Henry Freeman, with the experiences of today’s crews.
The show originally premiered in 2024, during the RNLI Bicentenary and after sell-out performances in the town, toured from Alnwick down as far as London’s Lyric Theatre. It was seen in locations as diverse as the lifeboat station itself in Bridlington and Selby Abbey.
Antony Bellekom, Dogwood Director, said: "The RNLI is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. In that sense, it’s a gift for theatre makers, with an amazing richness of stories as source material.
"But it’s not all about the past: just as the seas off our coast will always have the potential to take lives, so does the tradition of volunteering go on. It’s like a baton of responsibility is passed down through the generations'.
Richard Dowson, Senior station technician, said: “It is wonderful news that Facing The Waves will continue to partner with the RNLI, we watched the production in 2024 and thoroughly enjoyed it.
"It is through raising awareness of the RNLI that we are able to continue to do what we do - saving lives at sea, thanks to public interest and donations.