Shoreham businesses pull together with gestures of support for the world premier of Galatea

This tale of queer love and acceptance is billed as early modern theatre’s best kept secret, and is taking place on Adur Recreational Ground this week.

Emma Criddle from Neighbourhood Store on the high street engaged lots of local businesses to help raise awareness of the production through the use of their window displays. Anything from a simple poster to a full window installation has happened. You can follow the snip-its of the production through the windows of these local businesses, taking you to the town, Galatea set up at Adur Recreational ground.

Emma Criddle said: “It has been a proud moment for the town, to really come together as a community of indie businesses for something spectacular, taking place in our town.”

The businesses involved are; The health Shack, Shoreham Art Gallery, Black Parrot, Palate, Whitehouse Antiques, Ginger & Dobbs, Shoreham Pottery, Drift, Taphouse, La Patisserie, Tomfoolery, The Living Room, Darren Ross, Hungry Monkey, Fitzhugh Herbert, Neighbourhood Store & SOLD.

Synopsis of Galatea:

Galatea is the story of a town that has been cursed.They have forgotten how to love.And the monster is coming…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 intersectional company in spoken English and British Sign Language.

Galatea will be performed from May 13 to 21, tickets from Brighton Festival & Ropetackle Arts Centre.