Saltmine Trust - Marcel-Page

Marcel White was part of the lifeblood of this theatre company. The impact his life had on us is immeasurable and it continues to flow through our personal and professional lives. When he smiled God’s love and joy poured out of him as it was his greatest honour to glorify Him.

Please continue to lift his young family up in prayer along with the multitude of family and friends who are grieving.

Below our CEO and dear friend of Marcel, Rachael Orrell pays tribute to his incredible life.

I first met Marcel in December 2015. He auditioned with us for a part in Darkness Falls which was a modern retelling of John’s Gospel. On that first encounter he made such an impression, not just his creative excellence and powerful singing voice but his passion for life, his joy, his beautiful smile. I remember most clearly that he shared his journey of faith in Jesus with incredible honesty and passion. In January 2016 he ended up playing the disciple John, and toured universities around UK sharing the story of Jesus with us for the first time.

Marcel’s love of God and people just shone out of him. He was an incredible actor, team player and leader. He ended up working with us and toured in over 12 different projects over 7 years – National shows, Christmas tours, TIE, and at the end of 2021, he co-wrote and performed in one of our most treasured TIE resources on knife and gang crime, Switch Up – it is an outstanding project and deeply respected by the Police. He directed, wrote, and acted for us over the years and his creative skill will continue to imbue our work.

Marcel left an imprint of love, joy and hope on all he encountered. His fervent love for God and people has uplifted more lives than we can imagine, and his memory will continue to live in our hearts and lives. Since his passing we have been inundated with people who saw him perform, maybe only once, but he left a big impression. He was extra special to me because of all his honouring support of my leadership. He would frequently come into my office, offer to pray for me (which was so often God appointed), and go out of his way to encourage me.

Marcel never had a bad word - He was our greatest advocate. His character was rich and inspiring he was strong yet gentle, passionate, gritty, he had a generous heart for all, humble, wise, faithful, funny, kind, powerful, talented, and unforgettable. His legacy will live on and in the midst of grieving we will celebrate his life.

We miss you.

Rachael Orrell
CEO

Marcel’s Saltmine Production History:

Winter 2016 – “Darkness Falls” Actor; John
Winter 2016 – “Stand For It?” Actor; Michael
Christmas 2016 – “Night before Christmas”, Actor; Rudolph, Dad, Feliz Navidad, St Nicholas
Spring 2017 – “In Their Shoes”, Actor; multirole
Summer 2017 – “Soul in the Machine”, Actor; Rogers and Ensemble
Autumn 2017 – “Legacy” (short), Co-Writer
Christmas 2017 – “Night before Christmas”, Actor; Rudolph, Dad, Feliz Navidad, St Nicholas
Summer 2018 – “Soul in the Machine” Film, Actor; Rogers
Christmas 2018 – “The Nutcracker”, Actor; Candyfloss and Love Heart
Summer 2018 – “Legacy” (major theatre tour), Actor; multirole
2017-2018 - “Switch Up” Co-Writer with Paul Graham
Spring 2019 – “The Birmingham Passion Play 2019”, Actor; Jesus
Autumn 2020 – “Wonderland” (short films) Actor; Caterpillar
Christmas 2020 – “Hark! A Nativity Story” (film), Actor; Gabriel
Winter 2020 – “The Liberator”, R&D
Spring 2021 – E-safety resource, Easter resources and “In Their Shoes” film, Actor
Summer 2021 – “Faultlines”, Director
Autumn 2021 – “Switch Up”, Writer/Director/Actor; Dad
Christmas 2021 – “Rapunzel”, Director
Winter 2021 – “Filters” (unreleased), Writer
Spring 2022 – “Switch Up 360”, Visionary