Theatrical Lydia ‘pays forward’ kindness in Kent

‘Come From Away’ is a musical that has stuck with me since the very first time I saw it in London 4 years ago. It has been touring this year after receiving so much adoration in the West End, which has allowed many more people to see the production. Irene Sankoff and David Hein have created a beautiful, heartwarming show based on the incredible true story of a community of Newfoundlanders who provided shelter to 7,000 stranded people in the wake of the horrific 9/11 attacks. Without giving away any spoilers, one of the characters, Kevin T, decides that they will focus on “paying kindness forward” each year on the anniversary of 9/11, helping to pass kindness on to others following his experiences in Gander. At its heart it is a musical about doing good deeds without question, and theatre blogger Lydia Greatrix has taken inspiration from the show’s themes, helping communities all over the UK and Ireland in 2024 during its tour.

Known by the online name “Theatrical Lydia”, Lydia is an ambassador for the real-life Kevin T’s Charity ‘Pay It Forward 9/11’ and has been following the UK and Ireland tour of ‘Come From Away’, in memory of her friend and superfan Laura Townsend. Laura sadly passed away in 2023 before the tour opened, and had been intending to visit various cities across the UK and Ireland, paying forward acts of kindness and watching her favourite show. In Laura’s honour, Lydia has stepped up to the challenge and made this a reality, spending the year helping communities through food bank drives, mass donation appeals, buying coffee for strangers and more. This week Lydia has been in Canterbury, putting her next pin in the map at the Marlowe Theatre. I had the opportunity to find out how her efforts have been going and also learn what she had planned for my local area.

How are you doing after what seems like the busiest year, juggling this tour and a day job?

I’m good, thanks! You’re right, it has been a VERY busy year. If I haven’t been doing my usual day job as a Video Journalist, I’ve been planning Pay it Forwards (PIFs), or doing them. I don’t get many days off! It’s also been so rewarding, and such a privilege – I feel so lucky to have had this experience. My focus at the moment is making sure I’m making the most of the opportunity to spread kindness in the final few venues of the tour, in Canterbury, Chichester, Milton Keynes and Salford! 

What have been the highlights of the tour so far?

There’s been so many. I think one I’ll always go back to is the Pay it Forward in Ipswich. As I currently live in Colchester, Ipswich was my ‘local’. I knew I could be super hands-on there with whatever we could plan. Along with the fabulous team at Ipswich Regent, I planned a huge donation drive for Ipswich Housing Action Group. We collected over 70 crates of food, clothing, toiletries and more for people facing homelessness in the city. The response was amazing. One of my favourite PIFs was also in Aberdeen where I took 9 unpaid carers from the Aberdeen Carers Support Service for dinner and treated them to see Come From Away on September 11. It was incredible to meet them and treat them to a lovely night out, courtesy of the PIF donors. 

What can you tell me about the Canterbury Pay it Forward?

For the PIF in Canterbury, I’ve teamed up with disabled theatre content creator and access consultant Rachel Leveney, who suggested that we do something to help a charity which supports disabled people in the area. We found the Music Man Project, which has a branch in Kent. They provide music lessons to disabled children and adults in the area, all with the aim of making the arts more accessible, which really closely matches Rachel and I’s values. Therefore, we have bought £600 worth of brand new instruments for the group. Rachel has done all the heavy lifting and organising with this one, she’s an absolute star. I’ve just provided the funds from the PIF pot, which was kindly super-sized after the amazing fundraising that happened to my campaign in Wimbledon!

How can Kent ‘Come From Away’ fans continue your efforts in 2025 and beyond?

I think the best thing they can do is continue to pay it forward. Try to do one good deed for a friend, a colleague, a family member or a stranger, every day. Think how you can make their day better. The world can ALWAYS do with more kindness in it! It can be as simple as giving someone a compliment, donating something to the foodbank, doing a litter pick on your street or paying for a stranger’s coffee in front of you in the coffee shop queue. This is how a ripple effect of kindness begins, and it makes you feel good – we all love to experience the ‘Helper’s High’, right?!

If you could summarise 2024 in one word, what would it be and why?

Insightful! I’ve never done anything like this before, never really seen myself as a leader before this year. It’s given me such amazing opportunities to connect with people and learn how to set up campaigns – it’s been incredible. I just hope this is the small catalyst for the theatre industry to see that this can be done – we CAN make a difference to local communities in need, through the kindness of strangers who are going to the theatre. And I hope Laura’s up there chuckling at what on earth her little idea turned into. 

The final stretch

There are just three venues left, with the tour ending at the Lowry in Salford in the new year. I wish Lydia all the best for the last legs of the tour and hope she manages to get a well earned rest in 2025! The amount of people that will have benefitted from Lydia’s work this year is astounding. If you’ve been inspired by the Pay It Forward tour and would like to donate to the final community projects, you can contribute to Lydia’s JustGiving page here.

Thanks for reading my blog today.

Love Kat xxxx