DeNada Does Marlowe: Edward II
DeNada Dance Theatre is excited to announce it has been awarded funds from Arts Council England to begin the development of its new full length production for young adult and adult audiences: a queer dance adaptation of Christopher Marlowe’s play, Edward II (1591-2). Directed and choreographed by Carlos Pons Guerra, the project will be developed working with young people from secondary schools in the North of England, to understand the realities faced by LGBTQIA+ young people today, and how their experiences relate to that of older generations.
Marlowe’s play narrates the real-life story of King Edward II, a medieval English king who was in love with his male court favourite, Pierce Gaveston. Their love caused scandal at court and was one of the reasons for the civil war that ultimately led to the murdering of both Edward and Gaveston. Marlowe’s play dramatizes these events with his characteristic poetry, ambiguity and elevated sense of tragedy.
Due to its depiction of a queer monarch, the play has had a problematic history of performance and scholarship. It was rarely performed after 1620 and was only noticeably recuperated in the 20th century after the decriminalization of homosexuality in the UK (1967). Few adaptations of the text exist: amongst them David Bintley’s 1995 adaptation for the Stuttgart Ballet / Birmingham Royal Ballet, and Derek Jarman’s 1991 iconic film, with choreography by Nigel Charnock.
Historically, many literary scholars have ignored the play due to its overt expressions of love between men; often stating that Edward and Gaveston were merely “good friends.” Rather than a piece of early modern queer writing, many scholars and directors categorise Marlowe’s text as a history play, choosing not to explore its queer messaging.
Choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra said:
“I’ve been spending a lot of time with Edward II over the last couple of years and for me, it is very clear that what happens in the play between Edward and Gaveston is love: they are a couple deeply in love with each other who have to face a court that opposes them in every way. The play feels very current because although written in the sixteenth century, it raises important questions about queerness in relation to class, race and ability which are important issues the LGBTQIA+ community is grappling with now.
More importantly, what Edward II tell us is that queer people have always existed, and can be found throughout history. The isolation I felt growing up as a young queer person who didn’t know others like him existed, especially in high school, still has effects on how I experience the world today. That’s why I believe it is important to explore these historical cultural works with young people. Not just to celebrate the cultural diversity that is available (and often gets excluded from canons and school curricula), but also to affirm and feel by empowered by the idea that we queers have always been here, are not anomalies, and are capable of achieving great things.
We are very grateful to our funders and partners for making it possible for us to begin this important work.”
The project is produced by Spin Arts, with partners including The Civic (Barnsley), CAST (Doncaster), the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, the University of Leeds, Sheffield and York. Research and rehearsals will take place through spring-summer 2024. Please stay in touch for news of future development of the production.