Photo Flash: The Burbage Theatre Co. Presents EDWARD II

The Burbage Theatre Co announces the 3rd production of their Ninth Season (2019-2020) with Edward II

by Christopher Marlowe directed by Jeff Church, running from January 23 to February 16 at Burbage's new home, 59 Blackstone Avenue in Pawtucket.

"A 16th Century playwright wrote a psychosexual thriller about a gay 14th century king, who was deposed and imprisoned, and died in captivity - Marlowe's Edward II is 'The Crown' meets 'Games of Thrones'," says Artistic Director Jeff Church, "an Elizabethan take on the powder keg that is the intersection of sex, politics, and religion.

"In defiance of his deceased father's wishes and the Pope's command, newly crowned Edward invites his exiled companion and lover, the low-born Piers of Gaveston, back home to reign with him. The nobility of England and the Church inevitably take offense with this and deny the King his lover. This begins a downward spiral of conspiracy, murder, and intrigue through civil war to the deposition and grim death of an English monarch. Marlowe's play, while provocative, is uncommonly relevant, demonstrating the dangerous effects of one's nature fostered in an inherently oppressive environment.

"These history plays, including but not limited to the works of Marlowe and Shakespeare, are themselves oppressive by nature in that they contain some of the fewest roles for women in the Elizabethan canon - little to none at all. Of our 17 actors, 14 are women, in an effort to, at once, provide a large and talented ensemble of women the opportunity to cut their teeth on these roles, and to bring attention to the often oppressive societal constructs (ie norms of gender and sexuality) that Marlowe is dealing with and may otherwise be hidden in traditional binary casting.

Edward II runs from January 23 to February 16 at 59 Blackstone Avenue, Pawtucket RI. Tickets are available online at www.burbagetheatre.org. For more information, email us at boxoffice@burbagetheatre.org or call (401)484-0355.

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