Jake Mace
Noah Robinson is the writer and co-director of upcoming EdFringe play Edward (In Memoriam), set in 2000 and a queer reimagining of Christopher Marlowe’s classic play. Fusing fact and fiction, the show sees the Prince of England coming to terms with monarchy’s expectations, and must fight for love – but whose and at what cost? We caught up with Noah for a pixelated pint to find out more about what inspired his adaptation.
You can catch Edward (In Memoriam) from August 11th to 16th Jade Studio at Greenside @ George Street from 17:20 (50mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake: Hi Noah – Edward (in Memoriam) is described as a queer reimagining of Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II that aims to bring a new take on Britain’s forgotten past and present – tell us about what inspired the piece and about the process of writing it.
Noah: Hi Jake! I’ve been interested in Marlowe’s original material for some time. It’s a sorry story that speaks to our times: a member of the royal family that’s undone by a forbidden love. When this queer reimagining clicked for me was when I was reading about a sculpture due to be unveiled this August, dedicated to LGBTQ+ military personnel. It marks the ban on LGBTQ+ people serving in the armed forces, a policy lifted begrudgingly 25 years ago.
It made me think: how far would a system go to demand your silence to survive? Especially if you were the heir to the throne…
The world of the play has largely been shaped by the testimonies uniquely recorded in the Etherton Report, commissioned in 2022 to explore the maltreatment faced by personnel serving under the ban. What happens to the characters in Edward (in Memoriam) is real – there’s nothing fictitious about it. I was very grateful to receive funding from artswork to support the research behind the play. My discoveries from the British Library, BFI Special Collections and National Archives have some way or another found themselves into the play. But most importantly, it’s been shaped by our cast who have brought such insight and clarity to the script – it’s a very different show to the one that I started thinking of a few years ago.
Jake: Tell us about what the audience can expect coming into the show, and what they might not expect about the show.
Noah: Audiences can expect the grandeur of a royal coronation, the harrows of modern warfare and the scandal of a riotous and forbidden love triangle (or maybe it’s more complicated than that…). The show layers historical tragedy over contemporary injustice – it’s drama fit for the King of England himself.
If the audience is expecting a straight (in more ways than one!) period production, they’re coming to the wrong show. Marlowe would probably be rolling in his grave at a mid-show dance break to an iconic 90s hit… think The Crown meets Challengers.
Jake: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?
Noah: I’m optimistic that the show might start some conversations or get people thinking. It was recently reported that the compensation process for LGBTQ+ veterans affected by the ban could take over a decade. But it might get our audience thinking about the royal family too. I surprised myself in the writing process that there are some very close similarities between the world that Edward II faced back in the 13th century and the one that contemporary royals face today in the 21st. It’s a staple of British culture but I think it’s time we gave it some serious thought.
Jake: With Edinburgh Fringe 2025 just around the corner, what are you most excited for?
Noah: I’m genuinely excited to be in Edinburgh and at Fringe for the first time. It’s always been an aspiration to go and it’s slightly unbelievable that I’ll be going with a show that I’ve written.
As a trio (with fellow directors Elizabeth Abbott and Lucy Marshall), we’re really excited to be making our Edinburgh Fringe debut with this show. We had some great responses at our preview in Bristol alongside the play being shortlisted for the Peter Shaffer Award for Postgraduate Playwrighting so we’re keen to see how Edinburgh audiences will respond. We’re also eager to make the most of the festival and connect with other young creatives making a mark on the theatre scene!
Jake: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?
Noah: Definitely a spicy margarita. Sharp, sweet (in parts!) with a fiery hit. But you’ll have to see the show to find out what that hit is!
You can catch Edward (In Memoriam) from August 11th to 16th Jade Studio at Greenside @ George Street from 17:20 (50mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
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