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A joyful, (mostly) true story of British eccentricity and determination
In Whitby Harbour, in the summer of 1991, something extraordinary happened. A humble pleasure boat set sail for the Arctic, with a crew of misfits, pensioners, and the vicar for Egton and Grosmont.
This motley crew was assembled for a daring mission: to erect a plaque honouring the legendary Whitby whaler and explorer Captain William Scoresby Senior on a volcanic island hundreds of miles north of Iceland. The boat was illegal, the crew untrained and the plan…unhinged.
You can see why the true-life story of the Helga Maria put playwright Bea Roberts in mind of an Ealing comedy. It is a tale of British pluck, high-seas adventure and small-town amateurism as a group of misfits comes together to achieve the impossible.
—Guardian
A crazy, absurdly heroic story, comparable to an Ealing comedy.
—Reviews Hub
Bea Roberts is a writer whose plays include: The Whitby Rebels (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, 2024); And Then Come The Nightjars (Theatre503, London, 2015); A Modern Retelling of Madame Bovary (Tobacco Factory Theatres/The Bike Shed Theatre/Plymouth Theatre Royal); and Scoop (Lyric Hammersmith/UK tour). In addition to writing plays, Bea has written and performed sketches, storytelling pieces, and stand-up comedy.