Galatea by David Templeton

Think of GALATEA as a cross between "My Fair Lady" and "Agnes of God," but set on a space station in 2167. A multiple award-winning science-fiction mystery/thriller, GALATEA takes place on a single set high above the Earth, as robotics specialist Dr. Margaret Mailer conducts a series of sessions with the synthetic Seventy-One, the only surviving member of a crew once assigned to the Galatea...
Think of GALATEA as a cross between "My Fair Lady" and "Agnes of God," but set on a space station in 2167. A multiple award-winning science-fiction mystery/thriller, GALATEA takes place on a single set high above the Earth, as robotics specialist Dr. Margaret Mailer conducts a series of sessions with the synthetic Seventy-One, the only surviving member of a crew once assigned to the Galatea, a deep-space transport vessel which disappeared over 100 years before. As Mailer slowly peels away layer after layer of the reluctant synthetic's protective programming, she grows closer and closer to discovering what, exactly, happened on the Galatea, while gradually suspecting a unsettling truth that could change the future of humankind.

Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award - Citation Winner 2022
San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Awards - Winner Original Script
Will Glickman New Play Awards - Honorable Mention 2021

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Galatea

Recommended by

  • Kate Danley:
    3 Feb. 2024
    “ An absolutely stunning science fiction piece! A gorgeous study of humanity, an intriguing mystery, and so well crafted and written. If you are a fan of the gentle philosophy of Star Trek: the Next Generation, this will hit all the feels for you. With a small cast and easy staging requirements, this is a piece deserving of being produced often. ”
  • Aly Kantor:
    3 Feb. 2024
    “ This stunning but intimate sci-fi play captured my full attention from page one, and by the end, I was fully sobbing. I believe Dr. Mailer would call it "Catharsis." This is the sort of disarmingly human, sensitive, moving, and immersive sci-fi play I've been searching for. The characters are distinct and lovable, and the brilliant twists never stop coming, deepening my investment in their stories. I am resisting the urge to scroll back to the top and read it from the beginning. PLEASE produce this play! I want to see every performance! ”
  • Martha Wade Steketee:
    20 Dec. 2023
    “ I am not, in general, a sci fi person or a fantasy appreciator (who needs fantasy worlds, in my mind, when the here and now is so multi-layered and fascinating) but WOW this is an enchanting creation. Characters that I cared about, mysteries quietly revealed, explosions described, deaths at a distance (and dead family members, sob) and at the end .. hope for us, as a nod of creation from this playwright. We can reflect on the good attributes of mankind and work to avoid all the catastrophes that loom. ”
View all 5 recommendations

SEVENTY-ONE: (lead) Female; identifiably robotic; reasonably fit, strong; Age range late 20s to early 30s; any ethnicity (diversity encouraged).
Dr. MAILER: (lead) Female; motherly/grandmotherly; warmly, genuinely pleasant but imposing; age range mid-40s and up; any ethnicity (diversity encouraged).
Dr. HUGHES: (supporting) Male; professorial, funny; age range mid-40s and up; any ethnicity.
TWENTY-NINE: (supporting) Male; extremely robotic; very fit; age range 20s-30s; any ethnicity.

Development History

  • Commission
    ,
    Spreckels Performing Arts Center
    ,
    2020

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    Spreckels Theatre Company
    ,
    2021
  • Professional
    ,
    Spreckels Performing Arts Center (production originally set for March 20, 2020, canceled on Oct. 13 due to COVID closure of theater)
    ,
    2020

Awards

Finalist
,
Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award
,
The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust/American Theatre Critics Association
,
2022
Winner
,
Citation in 2022 Steinberg/ATCA New Play Awards
,
The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust/American Theatre Critics Circle
,
2022
Winner
,
Original Script: SFBATCC Excellence in Theatre Award
,
The San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Association
,
2022
Winner
,
Overall Production/Bay Area: SFBATCC Excellence in Theatre Award
,
The San Francisco Theatre Critics Association
,
2022
Honorable Mention
,
Will Glickman Award
,
Theatre Bay Area/Will Glickman Foundation
,
2021