A New Tide in Adelaide Theatre: Maytide's It Is Well with My Soul

A New Tide in Adelaide Theatre

Maytide Theatre Company is a young Adelaide theatre company overflowing with ambitions – and its world-premiere musical Maytide’s It Is Well with My Soul: The Musical is set to become a powerful new voice in the 2026 Adelaide Fringe. 

Based in Adelaide, Ally Gum has started this company with a focus to bring excellence to heartfelt, story-driven work while nurturing South Australian talent to deliver work that can stand confidently on a stage. Emerging in a city already alive with community and independent theatre, Maytide Theatre Company is beginning their journey by developing original work that blends historical narrative, emotional depth, and accessible music theatre.

The company’s debut project, Maytide’s It Is Well with My Soul: The Musical, reflects Maytide’s commitment to local storytelling and collaboration. Written and adapted by South Australian artists, the musical showcases a team of emerging and established creatives. Rooted in a true story of loss, resilience, and enduring hope, the production invites audiences into an emotionally rich, musically stirring journey that speaks to anyone who has ever had to find light after devastating darkness. Don’t worry, there will be complimentary tissues on hand.

It Is Well with My Soul is inspired by the real lives of Anna and Horatio Spafford, whose story sits behind the famous hymn of the same name. The musical follows Anna Larsen as she travels from Norway to Chicago with her mother and sister, seeking a new beginning in a bustling, opportunity-filled city. There she meets Horatio Spafford, a respected lawyer whose friendship with Anna grows into a tender, enduring love.

Their life together is marked first by promise and prosperity, then by catastrophe. The Great Chicago Fire devastates Horatio’s real estate investments and throws the family into financial uncertainty, layering practical hardship onto their otherwise close-knit, faith-filled home. Hoping for respite and spiritual renewal, Anna and the couple’s four daughters sail for Europe to support revival meetings while Horatio remains behind to attend to pressing business concerns, a decision that will change their lives forever.

Tragedy strikes when the S.S. Ville du Havre sinks mid-voyage, and Anna survives alone, sending Horatio the now-famous telegram: “Saved alone.” On his journey across the Atlantic to reunite with her, Horatio passes over the approximate site of the shipwreck and finds the words that would become “It Is Well with My Soul,” a hymn that has comforted generations in grief. The musical traces how Anna and Horatio learn to live again after unimaginable loss, relying on each other, their community, and their faith as they move toward a new sense of calling and purpose.

As mentioned, this musical is penned and crafted by SA artists, underscoring Maytide’s focus on local voices and community-rooted storytelling. The original work is written by D. P. K. Maegraith, and adapted for the stage by Andrew Broadbent and Ally Gum, with music composed by Alana Lymn. This combination brings together a strong narrative spine, dramaturgical care, and a score designed to carry both intimacy and epic emotion.

On the production side, Director and Owner of Maytide Theatre Company, Ally Gum leads the storytelling, ably supported by Production Manager Andrew Broadbent, Musical Director Alana Lymn, and Choreographer Chloe Short.

The creative team is joined by an ensemble of performers, including roles such as Anna Spafford (Kaila Barton), Horatio Spafford (Zachary Baseby), Anna’s sister Guri (Emma Batten), American evangelist Dwight Moody (Brandon Calmiano), and members of the American Colony, adding texture to the world around the central couple.

At its heart, Maytide’s It Is Well with My Soul: The Musical is a story about how ordinary people respond when life becomes unbearable. Anna and Horatio’s journey mirrors the way many modern audiences navigate upheaval, loss, and the search for meaning in uncertain times.

This show speaks particularly to themes of resilience in the face of tragedy, the sustaining power of community, and what it means to sing words of faith when life feels anything but “well”. By visiting this well-known hymn through a musical theatre lens, Maytide offers a fresh doorway into a historic story that continues to resonate across cultures and generations.

Whether or not audiences come from a faith background, the emotional core—grief, love, and the long work of healing—remains immediately recognisable and deeply human.

Maytide’s It Is Well with My Soul: The Musical premieres as part of Adelaide Fringe 2026, bringing a full-scale original musical into one of the country’s most vibrant festival lineups. Performances are scheduled at Blackwood Memorial Hall & The Parks Theatres, with sessions listed at 1:00 pm on their first and final days, and 7:00 pm, offering options for audiences.

Two of their performances will be attended by an Auslan interpreter, courtesy of Deaf Connect, furthering the accessibility of live theatre to audiences. Auslan interpreters will be present on Saturday 21^st February at 7:00pm at the Blackwood Memorial Hall, and on Friday 6^th March at 7:00pm at the Parks Theatre.

If you are looking for theatre that is intimate yet sweeping, personal yet grounded in history, Maytide’s It Is Well with My Soul: The Musical offers a moving night out—and a chance to witness the rise of a new Adelaide company finding its voice.

Additional Fringe information and ticketing are available here: Maytide’s It Is Well with My Soul: The Musical

For a company at the beginning of its journey, launching an original world-premiere musical at Fringe is a bold statement of intent. It positions Maytide Theatre Company as one to watch: a company ready to tell emotionally rich, grounded stories.