Earlier this year, on 4 March, the RNLI celebrated 200 years of saving lives at sea.
Throughout the year, the charity is running events and activities to commemorate its history, celebrating the lifesaving service it provides today and to inspire generations of future lifesavers and supporters.
Facing The Waves is a new musical from Dogwood Productions whose recent shows have toured England and been heard on BBC Radio 4.
The musical will be performed at Spennymoor Settlement’s Everyman Theatre on O’Hanlan Street on Sunday 6 October from 7.30pm.
The production features songs and music from the award-winning composer, Alastair Collingwood, who has written scores for numerous theatres shows including London’s West End.
His TV credits include the music for French and Saunders and the sitcom Mad About Alice; and How Clean Is Your House? amongst many others.
A spokesperson for the production company said: “Dogwood is honoured to be the official theatre partner for the RNLI as it celebrates its 200th anniversary.
“The show brings together an iconic Victorian hero and a young mum from the present day, juggling family, career and crewing the lifeboat. Will it be going off to sea or chips for tea?
“Facing The Waves celebrates our relationship with the sea, life in coastal towns and the extraordinary work of the people who crew the lifeboats.
“Part of our brief is to encourage young people to participate in, and experience theatre and to view it both as a potential career path as well as enriching the community by providing professional theatre in areas not typically served by larger theatre providers.
“We are as a result, delighted and grateful that Spennymoor Town Council have financed some tickets for local school pupils and we will endeavour to meet with them and talk about the show.”
Tickets are available online at dogwoodproductions.co.uk/boxoffice or from The Studio, (Photographers) 75, High Street, Spennymoor.
Malcolm Marsden of Spennymoor Settlement said: ”We look forward to hosting this new musical, particularly as it focuses on the valuable service given by the volunteers of the RNLI and in particular, the Whitby Lifeboat.
“In 2022 we lost one of our oldest, and longest serving members, Lillian Whitehead at 101.
“Lillian continued to ‘tread the boards’ at the Everyman well into her mid nineties, and we were thrilled to hear that her family had celebrated her memory by having her added to the side of the recently commissioned, Whitby Lifeboat.
“So it feels very apt that the theatre is hosting this very special production in a special year for the RNLI and we are very much looking forward to the show with its .”
Spennymoor's local community newspaper.
