SCHOOL OF NIGHT, THE

by Whelan, Peter

On May 30th, 1593, Christopher Marlowe was killed in a brawl . . . or was he? In the company of Thomas Kyd, Sir Walter Ralegh and the mysterious Tom Stone, Marlowe sets about writing his finest poem while charges of treason and atheism hang over him. When Kyd is arrested soon after, he implicates Marlowe who is forced into hiding at the now deserted Rose Theatre, once home to his greatest triumphs. Faced with increasing danger, Marlowe must plot his escape from England with the assistance of others whose loyalties appear united but remain tragically divided. Was his death simply a fight over a tavern bill, as officially recorded? Or was Marlowe, caught up in the minefield of dissidence and treason surrounding the Elizabethan Court, brutally murdered in a trap set by mercenary spies? The mystery surrounding his death and his membership in the clandestine School of Night is brought vividly to life against a backdrop of a politically and religiously divided England. First seen in Stratford upon Avon and then in London at the RSC’s Pit Theatre during 1992-1993. `A cracker of a play.’ - Time Out.