Galatea a Brighton Festival highlight

The world premiere of Emma Frankland’s Galatea will be one of the Brighton Festival highlights this year, from May 5-21.

Spokeswoman Elin Morgan said: “Galatea was written by Shakespeare's contemporary John Lyly in the 1580s and will now be brought vividly to life in a field in Shoreham on Sea in a radical revival adapted by Emma Frankland and Subira Joy and edited by theatre historian Andy Kesson.

The production will be codirected and designed by Mydd Pharo of Cornish landscape theatre company Wildworks and presented by Marlborough Productions.

Galatea was written in the 1580s and performed in front of Queen Elizabeth I.

Now, this tale of love, joy and the importance of welcoming outsiders will be introduced to new audiences as a resonant story for modern times: “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. Galatea is an ambitious collaboration between queer theatre maker Emma Frankland, LGBTQIA+ culture catalysts Marlborough Productions, Wildworks and the brand new research project Diverse Alarums, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Galatea: May 5-21, Adur Recreation Ground, Brighton Road, Shoreham, BN43 5LT. Tickets from the Brighton Festival.