Shademakers

Ship of Hope is a large-scale spectacle in the heart of Ryde, created by Shademakers and featuring around 250 community performers. Presented as an interactive promenade carnival, the performance follows a dramatic narrative of a ship battling treacherous seas on its journey to safety. Audiences play an active role, helping to guide the ship through storms and into calmer waters, blending Shademakers’ signature large-scale costumes with music, theatre, dance and silent soundscape elements.

The project brings together a wide range of Island communities, including youth groups, families, dancers, musicians and local organisations, creating a shared celebration rooted in participation, storytelling and collective imagination. International collaborators Mekindie Valiant add global artistic perspectives to this ambitious community spectacle.