We’re currently recruiting Trustees and a Co-Chair to join our Board. Apply today, to find out more, click here.
Galatea
“Galatea is the story of a town that has been cursed. They have forgotten how to love.
And the monster is coming…”
We’re incredibly excited to be presenting the world premiere of Emma Frankland’s Galatea, commissioned by and as part of Brighton Festival, from the 5-21 May, 2023.
The work of Shakespeare’s best-selling but now long forgotten contemporary John Lyly, will be brought vividly to life at the Adur Recreation Ground in Shoreham-by-Sea this Spring in a radical revival of Lyly’s early modern play Galatea, adapted by Emma Frankland and Subira Joy and edited by theatre historian Andy Kesson with full BSL translation, in a brand new production that fuses together groundbreaking research and experimental theatre. The production will be co-directed and designed by Mydd Pharo of Cornish landscape theatre company Wildworks and presented by Marlborough Productions.
Set in a world where gods walk among the mortals, this unapologetically queer story follows different characters – all lost in the woods. Two young trans people find love whilst escaping oppression; a shipwrecked migrant searches for his family; goddesses clash; parents fret; an alchemist brews magic and a teenage Cupid sets hearts on fire – causing chaos and near disaster. And all the while, time is running out!
Galatea was written in the 1580s by John Lyly, William Shakespeare’s best-selling but now long-forgotten contemporary, inspiring Shakespeare’s comedies from As You Like It to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Performed in front of Queen Elizabeth I, over four hundred years ago, this tale of love, joy and the importance of welcoming outsiders is an incredibly resonant story for modern times.
Commissioned by Brighton Festival for its World Premiere, this ambitious, outdoor production is a major collaboration between award-winning queer theatre maker, Emma Frankland; LGBTQIA+ culture catalysts, Marlborough Productions; acclaimed Cornish landscape theatre company, Wildworks; and leading theatre historian, Andy Kesson.
Newly adapted by Emma Frankland and Subira Joy, edited by Andy Kesson with BSL translation support by Duffy – Galatea will be performed by a large company in spoken English and British Sign Language.
Dynamic and genre-defying – you’re not going to want to miss this radical revival of early-modern theatre’s best-kept secret. An ambitious, outdoor, large-scale collaboration between Emma Frankland, Marlborough Productions, Wildworks and the brand new research project Diverse Alarums, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and led by Andy Kesson, we are so proud and cannot wait for this epic revival of Galatea.
Galatea
5 – 21 May 2023
Adur Recreation Ground, Brighton Rd, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex BN43 5LT.
Preview: Friday 5 May, 8pm.
Saturday 6th – Sunday 21st May (Wednesday-Sunday), 8pm.
Sunday 14th and Saturday 20th May, 2pm.
All performances will be in English and BSL and will be captioned.
Galatea by John Lyly
Newly Adapted by Emma Frankland and Subira Joy
Edited by Andy Kesson with BSL translation support by Duffy
Commissioned by Brighton Festival
Presented by Marlborough Productions
Co-Produced by Emma Frankland, Marlborough Productions, Wildworks and Andy Kesson
Supported by Arts Council England, Arts & Humanities Research Council, Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, Hall for Cornwall, 101 Creation Space, Jerwood Arts, National Theatre’s Generate programme, TIDE, Box Office Bears and Worthing Theatres and Museum.
Image and trailer by Rosie Powell Freelance featuring Antonia Kemi Coker and Femi Tiwo.