The Whitby Rebels (NHB Modern Plays)

In Whitby Harbour, in the summer of 1991, something extraordinary happened. A humble pleasure boat set sail for the Arctic, crewed by 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. A joyful, (mostly) true story of British eccentricity and determination, Bea Roberts's play The Whitby Rebels premiered at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, in 2024, directed by Paul Robinson.

Bea Roberts is a West Country writer. Her plays include: The Whitby Rebels (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, 2024); Ivy Tiller: Vicar's Daughter, Squirrel Killer (Royal Shakespeare Company, 2022);  And Then Come The Nightjars (Theatre503, London, 2015); Infinity Pool; A Modern Retelling of Madame Bovary (Tobacco Factory Theatres/The Bike Shed Theatre/Plymouth Theatre Royal); Scoop (Lyric Hammersmith/UK tour) and Nights with Dolly Henderson (Box of Tricks at the Salisbury Playhouse/The Bike Shed Theatre/Bolton Octagon). In addition to writing plays, Bea has written and performed sketches, storytelling pieces and stand-up comedy.