Lifeboat

Theatre for a young audience from P5 and over. A WW2 story of friendship, courage and survival.

Winner of the Barclay’s Stage Award for Best Show, ‘Lifeboat’ tells the tale of two 15-year-old evacuees who spent 19 terrifying hours in the water on an upturned lifeboat. On Friday 13 September 1940, ‘The City of Benares’ set sail from Liverpool for Canada. On board were 90 evacuees escaping the seemingly unyielding bombing and the never-ending rationing and other repercussions of war-torn Britain. Four days into the crossing, the ship was torpedoed by the Nazis in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and sunk. Only 11 of the evacuees survived, among them were Bess Walder and Beth Cumming, willing each other to survive in a force-eight gale until help arrived.

Director and founder of Catherine Wheels Theatre Company, Gill Robertson, first came across the remarkable story of Bess and Beth in a magazine article: “I immediately thought that this was a fantastic story that had to be told, but I also thought it was near enough impossible to stage. I spoke to scriptwriter Nicola McCartney about the story and it really captured her imagination too, so we set about working out how we could bring it alive for young audiences.”. They were both lucky enough to then visit Bess at home and hear her story.

“A wonderful, affectionate portrait of wartime family life, with a powerful feeling for the popular music and culture … there’s the sheer passion and spirit of two brilliant actors who bring the story alive, so much so, that at the end the audience wiped the tears from their eyes and rose to give them a standing ovation.” (The Scotsman Critic’s Choice)

“Every child in the UK should see this show” (2013 – audience)

“Enjoyable and moving – brought to life wartime experiences that history books cannot” (2013 – audience)

Read more about Bess and Beth HERE