Hit musical LIFELINE announces London debut as World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week highlights growing AMR crisis
As World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (18–24 November) highlights the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the creators of LIFELINE announce the musical’s London run at Southwark Playhouse Elephant (28 March–2 May 2026), which is a unique opportunity for healthcare workers, vets and scientists to audition for its chorus.
It is nearly a century since Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin and 80 years since he received his Nobel Prize and warned of the threat of AMR in making common infections untreatable. That prediction is now reality: bacterial AMR alone kills more than one million people annually worldwide, with projections that this will reach 10 million deaths per year by 2050.
LIFELINE has captivated audiences at two sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and achieved off-Broadway success. In 2024, it made history as the first musical ever performed on the floor of the United Nations (UN). The musical weaves together Fleming’s groundbreaking discovery with the story of Jess, a junior doctor navigating the pressures of an overstretched NHS while her childhood sweetheart fights a drug-resistant infection.
“This musical is a fantastic celebration of the people dedicated to fighting antimicrobial resistance every day,” says Composer and Lyricist, Robin Hiley. “These are the heroes working to save antibiotics for future generations, and I want audiences to hear their stories.”
Professor Dame Sally Davies, UK Special Envoy on AMR and former Chief Medical Officer for England, says:
“All of us have had our lives changed or saved by antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistance affects all of us, but public awareness does not match the scale of the threat. LIFELINE The Musical is bringing the issues to life and showing that we can – and must – make a difference.”
One year after performing at the UN—closing the global high-level meeting on AMR to a standing ovation from diplomats representing nearly 200 countries—LIFELINE brings its urgent message to London from March to May 2026. Casting is now open and you can purchase tickets today at the link below!
AUDITIONS OPEN FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS, SCIENTISTS AND VETS
The production seeks nurses, doctors, pharmacists, vets, dentists, microbiologists and policymakers with roles connected to antibiotics or working on AMR to audition for the chorus who will perform alongside a professional West End cast. They will share their remarkable – and true – stories with audiences every night during the run at Southwark Playhouse Elephant as LIFELINE celebrates the everyday people who make the extraordinary happen.
Applications are now open for those who have always dreamed of performing in the West End. The production aims to spotlight the real-life workforce protecting patients, animals and the future of public health.
“I don’t think it’s an understatement to say that being in the show genuinely changed my life,” said Zahra, a lab manager who performed in the 2022 Edinburgh production. “It’s great to still have that network of professional connections that I can rely on at any minute because we’re still in touch.”
“This play is so important and we need to get the word out … it helped me get out of my comfort zone,” said Evelyn, a public health adviser who performed in the 2025 New York production chorus.
Applications: www.lifelinemusical.com/chorus
PLAY YOUR PART
To learn more about AMR, and what we can do collectively to help safeguard the future of antibiotics, see the link below:
TICKETS ON SALE TODAY
Tickets: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/lifeline/
