Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Open water swimming visionary and advocate Jim Alabiso‘s new play in Florida, To the Sea, opened to very positive reviews.

To the Sea was inspired by Alabiso’s open water swimming adventures and initiatives.

Marathon swimmer Patti Bauernfeind said, “Jim’s play in Jacksonville was fantastic, but what is really amazing is the young Jim was played by my high school friend’s son, Ben Ketchum. I grew up in Jacksonville and I had no idea that Ben was into theatre, let alone that he was casted in Jim’s open water swimming play.”

Ben and his family virtually watched Bauernfeind’s successful English Channel swim last month – to even make even closer ties between the theatrical and open water swimming worlds.

“The story and play was a huge hit. Jim is doing really amazing things in a city that never really valued the river or waterways until recently. I swam in the river one time as a kid – that was considered crazy at the time. Jim has helped to raise awareness and to inspire a community of open water swimmers in both the St. Johns and Atlantic.”

Alabiso explains a bit about the play. “The play was written by Kelby Siddons based on my water stories as a boy, middle age and now. Three characters, same person in a braided dialogue. The opening monologue is about our swim on Lake Kerr. You swimming circles around me, as portrayed by actor David Gile. Ben played the boy and rocked the house.

It’s based on true stories, but there is fiction. It is a play about our relationship with water.”

The theater was standing room only and beyond any metric of success envisioned by Alabiso and crew.

Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association