Renaissance tragedy meets Mean Girls meets 80s slasher in Carlos Pons Guerra’s queer dance adaptation of Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II.
Telling the true story of the king of England who fell in love with his male court favourite, DeNada Dance Theatre transports Marlowe’s narrative to the only place scarier than the medieval court of England: high school.
Hormone-fuelled, spectacularly camp and aggressively poignant, Edward II explores the endurance of queer people across history. The King of the class, the boy he loves, and the playground war: a fever dream that bleeds with the angst of forbidden passion.
Whether the prom queen, the jock, the outcast, the final girl or the nerd, this visceral production speaks to anyone who’s ever faced the brutal battlefield of adolescence.
Danced by an international cast to Luis Miguel Cobo’s original arcade-to-medieval score, with time-warping designs by April Dalton.
Will you survive the playground?
“Dazzling imagery…superlatively danced”Financial Times
“Dynamite dancing”The Guardian
Pre & Post-Show Discussions - 31 October
This Halloween, join us for an informal, accessible conversation with scholar Mathew Cooper and choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra. We will look at how queer horror has influenced the creation of DeNada Dance Theatre’s Edward II.
A free, insightful and spoiler-free warm up to the performance, where we’ll talk slashers, folk horror and medieval spooks. No need to book, just come along at 6:30pm before the show to listen.
Additionally, stay after the performance for a Q&A with Dr Kit Heyam and Carlos Pons Guerra.
Running Time: approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes (including 20 minute interval)
Age Guidance: 12+
Contains scenes of a suggestive erotic nature
Photos by David Lyndsay.
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