In Deptford, South London, a routine hair appointment becomes a *slightly* less intense version of John Tucker Must Die. Dami takes a seat in the chair of hardworking hairstylist Aisha, in preparation for her Valentine’s date the next day. The pair get off to a rocky start when Dami accidentally witnesses a private movement between Aisha and her secret beau, but find common ground when they realise they share a favourite musician in Dinah Washington. As the pair bond over their love of jazz, they start to realise they may have more in common than their music taste.
About the Show
‘Galentine’s Day’ features a cast of 4 Black performers and is written by a Black woman, Christine Ubochi. We are proud to advocate for Black voices in the creative space, offering opportunities to Black performers and creatives, and insisting on their presence at these theatre festivals where so often priority is given to white identities. The play is funny and heartwarming and we’re so proud to support this voice as it challenges oppression in the theatrical arena through the sheer act of existing proudly in the space.
About the Company
Ruckus Theatre Co. was founded in 2020 to champion disenfranchised voices through theatre in a time when the recovery of the performing arts industry was at risk. Our goal since then has been to continually produce new and exciting work that offers opportunities to voices from the Global Majority, LGBTQ+, disabled and all disenfranchised voices. We have been doing this for 4 years now and are very proud of the work that we have been able to achieve.
This has included our debut performances in 2020: 'Romeo and Juliet' at The Cockpit Theatre, which was the theatre's most successful production of that year, and 'The Fever' which was streamed to an excited audience.
Alongside these, we have run an extensive online and in-person programme of events, interviews, lectures, panels and workshops to offer exciting opportunities both for our community and audience to learn from leading experts across the industry and beyond, as well as to highlight fantastic individuals in our community to share their research and expertise.
Since then we have prioritised new writing, with our New Writing Series which is now in its fourth installment and has included evaluations of short films and screenplays from industry professionals as well as matching up aspiring writers and performers in a safe, creative space to develop work and form lasting communities. We also produced a new musical, 'Améliore', at Upstairs at the Gatehouse as part of Camden Fringe 2021 to hugely positive feedback and our research and development debut production of 'The Duchess of Buckingham Regrets to Inform You That Her Husband is Dead' at the Pumphouse Theatre in Watford Fringe 2023.
Over the years, we have built a reputation for being a small but fierce company and we are so proud of all of the work that we have been able to achieve.
Our next challenge... Edinburgh Fringe 2024!
How we will use the money
It is really important to us that our actors and creatives are compensated fairly for their time at Edinburgh and it is even more important that they do not need to pay to take part. This is so we can continue to allow people from all financial backgrounds to take part in our productions. Any donations will therefore be put towards our teams accommodation, travel and hopefully wages for this production.
Disclaimer: Contributing to this or any other Ruckus affiliated fundraiser does not in any way guarantee you preferential treatment in auditions, recalls or any creative process involved in these or any future productions by Ruckus Theatre Co., for either you or anyone closely related to/affiliated with you. Donations are independent of the creative, casting and selection processes and operate in the capacity of 'patron of the arts'.