A Wolverhampton-born theatre fan is teaming up with the city’s Grand Theatre and the touring production of the musical COME FROM AWAY to help support the Good Shepherd.

Lydia Greatrix, also known as ‘Theatrical Lydia’, who now lives in Colchester, is on a mission to show how social action can be achieved within the arts by ‘paying forward’ kindness on tour with her favourite musical.

COME FROM AWAY tells the real-life story of how residents in Gander in Newfoundland in Canada showed incredible kindness to 7,000 stranded airline passengers after the closure of US airspace following the 9/11 attacks.

After first seeing the show in London in December 2019, Lydia met her friend Laura Townsend, who later suggested that they should tour the UK with the musical, doing acts of kindness everywhere they travelled.

Sadly, Laura passed away in June 2023, never having been able to carry out this tour of kindness, so Lydia decided to do it in memory of her, starting in Leicester in March 2024.

The two had also been planning a trip to Gander to meet the people about whom the show is based, which unfortunately never happened, but Lydia, 25, a theatre content creator and video journalist, has since put into practice Laura’s plan of following the show on its UK tour and orchestrating acts of kindness in the towns and cities it visits along the way.

She has since set up food bank drives, organised litter picks and beach cleans, bought supplies for a primary school, donated to several animal shelters, and more, all over the UK, in a tour of kindness stretching from Aberdeen to Plymouth.

“What I am doing is very much in tribute to Laura and in her memory, and also ties in with the charity Pay It Forward 9/11 – a cause set up by real life ‘Plane Person’ Kevin Tuerff, who, after being stranded in Gander in 2001, set up his own charity to pay forward the kindness he was shown.” she said.

“Having been born in Wolverhampton and grown up in Hinstock in North Shropshire, I’m really excited to see the tour ‘come home’ to the city and delighted to be working with the Grand Theatre and the Good Shepherd to support the charity during the week’s run.

“I have heard all about the vitally important work the Good Shepherd delivers via its range of food and different support services, and I am sure theatregoers attending ‘Come from Away’ will be keen to show their support and ‘pay it forward’ to help people experiencing difficult times within the city.

“I hope patrons of Come From Away will open their hearts to support this incredible cause and make a real difference during the show’s run at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.”

Audiences are invited to bring along donations of new socks and underwear to performances of Come From Away, which will be passed on to the Good Shepherd based on Waterloo Road. Financial donations are also gratefully received in order to support the charity’s free-to-access support services.  

“We were both delighted and honoured to be approached by Lydia with this incredible idea, and what a fitting tribute to her friend Laura, adapting the powerful plot of Come from Away to show kindness to people across the country,” says Lucy Cox, Fundraising, Grants & Development Manager at the Good Shepherd.

“Those values of care and compassion are very much aligned to the approach we take here at the Good Shepherd, as well as from the local community who are so generous with their support and help with the services we deliver. We are really looking forward to working with Lydia and the Grand Theatre and adding this extra special concept to what I am sure will be a really poignant week of performances.”

Winner of four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical in London and the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical on Broadway, COME FROM AWAY runs at the Grand Theatre from November 5-9.

Scott Bird, Head of Marketing & Communications at the Grand Theatre said: “As a charity ourselves, we at the Grand Theatre are always so grateful for the support people show to us as community is always at the heart of everything we do. We are therefore always looking for ways to give back and help and there is no more perfect show than Come From Away to celebrate the best of humanity and the power of community.  It is the biggest honour to be working with Lydia to play our part in this nationwide campaign of paying it forward as the show tours the country. It is especially significant for us as we are both Lydia’s childhood theatre and we have been working to support the Good Shepherd this year by having our staff volunteer their time to help.”