Into The Night: Unique theatrical performance to stream online

Frazer Flintham’s Into The Night will steam online on demand in January and February.

The Original Theatre Company in association with Martyn Hayes will present the unique theatrical performance which is based on the book Penlee: The Loss of a Lifeboat by Michael Sagar-Fenton

The show previously streamed live online on Saturday 18 December at 5:30PM UK time marking 40 years since the events on which the book is about. The filmed performance will now be available to watch on demand from 12 January 2022 at 7:30PM (GMT) until 20 February 2022.

On Saturday 19 December 1981, the Penlee lifeboat ‘Solomon Browne’, was launched in hurricane conditions to go to the aid of the coaster ‘Union Star’ that had engine failure and was being swept towards the southern coast of Cornwall.

It was an attempted rescue which ranks not only with the greatest in the history of the RNLI, but with any human achievement.

Into The Night has been adapted by playwright and screen writer Frazer Flintham from Penlee RNLI volunteer and author Michael Sagar-Fenton’s book Penlee: The Loss of a Lifeboat. It is directed by Original Theatre Company’s Alastair Whatley.

The cast will be Hubert Burton, Tom Chambers, Cornish actor Robert Duncan, , Robert Mountford, Cornish actresses Susan Penhaligon and Hazel Simmons, and Tim Treloar.

The production is presented by Original Theatre Company (the team behind Birdsong Online and Apollo 13: The Dark Side of The Moon) in association with Martyn Hayes. It is designed by Michael Pavelka with camera direction by North South Culture, sound by Dominic Bilkey and music by James Findlay.

Frazer Flintham said: “It can be easy to forget that crew members on lifeboats in the UK are all volunteers. Electricians, teachers, builders – all willing to drop everything to go out into all weathers, and rescue people they’ve likely never met. I was drawn to this story for its humbling and very human reminder, of what bravery can really mean.”

Alastair Whatley added: “The story of the Penlee Lifeboat is one of the most humbling, awe inspiring stories of ordinary people being thrust into unimaginable conditions and risking everything to save others. It’s a story that touches all who hear it and our hope is to share this incredible story all over the world in what is without doubt one of our most ambitious live broadcasts yet attempted.”

To book to watch the production on demand, visit https://originaltheatreonline.com/productions/33/into-the-night-on-demand.

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About the author: Josh Darvill

Josh is Stageberry's editor with over five years of experience writing about theatre in the West End and across the UK. Prior to following his passion for musicals, he worked for more than a decade as a TV journalist.