On December 13th, Webb students attended the Broadway musical The Last Ship at the Neil Simon Theatre and had the rare opportunity to meet the cast, including Sting, who not only starred in the musical, but also wrote the music and lyrics. During the talkback with Sting after the show, topics ranged from set design to the state of the shipbuilding industry in England during the time of the story in the play.
The Last Ship tells the story of a town whose economy relies on a failing shipping company that faces imminent closure. The community braces for this difficult transition and faces their emotions during one last hurrah, the building of the company’s last ship. After attending the play earlier this year with his wife, Denise, Dean Neilson was touched by the powerful message in the play, having worked in a shipyard that faced a similar demise. Dean Neilson believed the students of Webb would enjoy the experience of that message in a new medium that is unique to the naval architecture and marine engineering curriculum at Webb.
Dean Rick Neilson sent a letter to Gordon Sumner (Sting) noting his interest and appreciation for the maritime industry by taking part in such an endeavor. In the letter, he compared The Journal’s quotes from the producer’s nutshell description of The Last Ship as “a portrait of a community so bound together by passion, faith and tradition, they’ll stop at nothing to preserve the only life they’ve ever known,” with Webb Institute’s founder, William H. Webb, who also dedicated his life to preserving those same traditions.
Nathaniel Hill, the representative of The Last Ship, reached out to him, offering a generous discount rate for the Webb students and staff in addition to a few minutes with the cast and Sting after the performance.
Dean Neilson immediately took him up on his offer, and 56 students and 23 faculty, staff and family members eagerly signed up. Funding for the students’ attendance was made possible through the Webb Cultural Enrichment Endowment, created by Norm and Kitty Wallin, which enables Webb students to attend cultural events. Due to Webb’s close proximity to New York City, many of these events take place at the hub of the theater industry, Broadway. “I’m thrilled that the students were able to attend a performance of The Last Ship featuring Sting. This is precisely the type of experience my wife and I had in mind when we established the Webb Cultural Enrichment Endowment. We have been fortunate enough to enjoy the arts and are happy to provide the same experience to Webb students,” said Norm (Homer) Wallin, who earned a postgraduate degree from Webb in 1962.
In a letter of thanks after the performance to Mr. Hill, Dean Neilson requested contact information for Jimmy Nail, who is the understudy for Sting and a very good friend of his. Mr. Nail has ties to the shipbuilding industry and as a young man had a welding apprenticeship for four years specializing in t.i.g root runs on turbine blades before moving on to acting. In a return email to Dean Neilson, Mr. Nail expressed his desire to visit Webb in the spring if schedules line up.
Many thanks to Dean Neilson and Nathaniel Hill who coordinated and organized this event.