Theatre / Edinburgh Fringe
Fringe preview: Edward (in Memoriam) by DramSoc – ‘A poignant queer reimagining of a theatre classic’
It’s year 2000. The British military is changing, perhaps not in the pace one would have expected. Marriage should be easy, but not when you’re the Prince of England. And not when you’re at war with France. And certainly not when your heart belongs to him, not her, the woman you’re expected to marry.
DramSoc at University of Bristol, with a strong track record of taking imaginative and hard-hitting 50-minute sets to the Edinburgh Fringe, will not disappoint their predecessors this year.
The batch of 2024/25 brings a bold, queer reimagining of Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II, infused with a dash of contemporary realism and a sharp critique of the perennial othering of LGBTQ+ people in the armed forces, whether you fight with a sabre or a 7.62mm marksman rifle.
is needed now More than ever
Edward (in Memoriam) is set against the backdrop of the British Armed Forces’ now-defunct ban on homosexuality, a policy that remained in place until January 2000. Set in the early days of that year, the play dives into themes of secrecy, power, repression and defiance in both the military and monarchy.
Edward (in Memoriam) by Bristol DramSoc is a queer reimagining of Christopher Marlow’s Edward II
As Edward navigates the suffocating expectations of royalty and command, his love becomes a battlefield of its own, especially under the watchful eye of a suspicious commanding officer. As tensions rise, he must decide what he’s willing to risk for love — and who he’s willing to fight for.
Written by Noah Robinson and directed by Noah Robinson, Elizabeth Abbott and Lucy Marshall, this intimate and ambitious production is performed by a cast of four. Developed through a year-long process of research and development, the play draws heavily on archival materials to root its narrative in the real, often-overlooked history of queer persecution within the British military.
Bristol24/7 recently had the chance to speak to Noah Robinson, Elizabeth Abbott, Lucy Marshall and Aron Jackson who plays Edward, the titular role.
Robinson said: “Much of the play is a loose adaptation of Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II. I was aware of the original but hadn’t quite found a way into it. Then I stumbled upon the history that inspired this adaptation and shaped how we constructed the events of the play. It focuses on a period in British history when the Armed Forces enforced a ban that made it illegal to be gay — from the 1960s up until January 12, 2000. The play is set right at the start of that year, around January 3rd or 4th.
“This history offered a way to explore the culture of silence within the military. It’s almost an anomaly because, while the 1990s are often seen as a time of queer liberation after Stonewall, that was not the case in the Armed Forces. Despite growing tolerance in wider British society, including the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, homosexuality was still criminalized in the military.
“Marriage should be easy, but not when you’re the Prince of England”
He continued: “I’ve been writing the play over the past year, fortunate to receive funding for research and development, including archival work to inform the script. Earlier this year, I brought it to Elizabeth and Lucy, and we asked if it was something we could develop and propose to Dramsoc. We’ve been lucky to have the society’s support to take it to the Edinburgh Fringe this year, and rehearsals have been ongoing fairly consistently since early May.”
The production team was fully aware of the sensitivity of the topic and committed themselves to deeply engaging with the issues explored in the play. Aron Jackson, who plays Edward, spoke about the extensive preparation that went into the role.
He said: “We focused a lot on making the characters feel grounded — in terms of their class, their relevance, and placing them in the right historical context. Noah’s fantastic; he runs loads of exercises that really help us embody the characters physically and emotionally, which we spent a lot of time on.
“There’s also a real balance to strike in the piece — it’s rooted in a classic play, but we’re setting it in the year 2000. So I had to make a lot of decisions about which elements to draw from the original period and which to adapt to a more modern setting.”
They will be accompanied by some 15 other shows from the creative societies of the University of Bristol, which includes the Fringe debut of Music Theatre Society (MTB).
View this post on Instagram
Co-director Elizabeth Abbot talked at length on challenges that lie ahead of a monumental effort such as taking a production to the Fringe Festival. Abbott said: “We’ve talked quite a bit about how to market the show because we’re still figuring out the best approach. Lucy mentioned that she was at Fringe all of last year and found it exhausting having to travel so far. One common piece of advice we’ve received is to compare our show to others already out there—to find crossover points in themes or plot that audiences might recognise.
“So, we’ve been describing it as a mix between The Crown and Challengers, with a strong focus on queerness, as well as the military and the royal family. If we had to pick a “holy trinity” of themes, it would be those three.
Lucy Marshall, co-director and show promoter commented on the challenge of multitasking but in the meantime maintaining the integrity of the original conception of the show.
Marshall said: “Yeah, it’s definitely a lot of moving parts, especially with the three of us balancing multiple roles. We were talking about this just this week, and we all feel that while our directing styles are quite different, they really complement each other.
“Without speaking for them, Noah, in the rehearsal room, really focuses on the script—how the words are spoken and the tone. Elizabeth concentrates on the visual aesthetic and staging, while I’m always thinking about movement within the scene and how that can reflect the shifting intensity.
“So, the three of us bring different strengths that work well together. Of course, we don’t always agree, so there’s always some negotiation involved. But overall, it’s been fabulous. Even with the actors—just yesterday, during rehearsal with AJ and Maima—we devised and changed the ending together. It’s been a truly collaborative process with shared authority, which has been fantastic.”
View this post on Instagram
The standout cast includes Jemima Hurst as Isabelle, Ruby Skilton‑Robinson as Mortimer and Charlie Warwick as Gaveston, alongside Aron Jackson, each delivering powerful, emotionally charged performances.
Edward (in Memoriam) will be on from 11-16th August at Jade Studio in Greenside on George Street. Tickets are now on sale at www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/edward-in-memoriam
All photos: Bristol DramSoc
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
