‘Make my words reside in your language as if they never knew any other.’ Marlowe, murder… Morocco? The truth behind Shakespeare is steeped in blood and political intrigue, but now Christopher Marlowe is ready to tell all.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
Matchmaker Theatre Productions was founded in 2012 by Shaul Ezer with the mandate of producing original Canadian plays. Our debut production, and company namesake, was The Matchmaker of Montreal, produced in Vancouver in 2013. This was followed by The Concierge of Vancouver and The Masks of Oscar Wilde, both produced in Vancouver. In 2022, Matchmaker was thrilled to make our Edinburgh Fringe debut with a re-imagined production of The Masks of Oscar Wilde, and we are excited to be returning to Edinburgh in 2023 with the world premiere of The Real William Shakespeare… As Told By Christopher Marlowe.
Tell us about the creative team and process involved?
All of Matchmaker’s scripts are written by our founder, Shaul Ezer, and our production manager and stage manager is Laura Moore, who has been with the company since 2013. From there, we have a very unique process for producing our Fringe productions, because while Matchmaker Theatre Productions is based in Canada, Laura lives in Paris and organizes the company from France. From there, we employ a Scottish cast and crew to bring our Fringe productions to life.
Our director in both 2022 and 2023 is Jen McGregor, and our cast this year consists of Nicholas Thorne, Kirsty Eila McIntyre, Adam Buksh, and John Kielty. Our costume designer is Chantal Short and our costume builder is Martha Schram, with Kirsty Vance assisting with the production design. Finally, Emily Ingram is handling our publicity and Erika Alvarez is in charge of our social media channels. Altogether, our production meetings span four different time zones, so we are truly an international team.
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
We are so excited to be returning to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023! Last year was our first time in Edinburgh, and while we had an incredible time, it was also a very steep and sharp learning curve. We learned that those get-in and get-out times are no joke, and we will be triple checking all QR codes printed on posters and flyers before sending them to print this year. But overall, our experience last year was incredibly positive. That’s why we’re looking forward to returning this year with all of that experience (and lessons learned!) under our belts, and hopefully, learning even more lessons about what it takes to put on a successful Fringe run.
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
There are always a lot of shows featuring William Shakespeare, as he is quite the familiar face at the Fringe. But ours is the only one told through the eyes of Chrisotpher Marlowe, and the only one to feature Marlowe as a lead character as far as we know. Our show also explores the Shakespeare authorship debate in a way that, to the best of our knowledge, is completely original, so we are excited to share this idea with audiences. Finally, our show examines the theme of identity, and how that so often gets wrapped up in our artistic creations, which is something that all creatives can relate to on some level.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping for the audience to take away?
We hope that our audiences will come away entertained, but also inspired to think more critically about history; specifically, who determines the stories that history remembers and how do we as a society fill in the (maybe intentional) blanks?
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…
We hope that those who have an interest in Shakespeare and/or Marlowe will come and check us out. But our choice audience also includes anyone interested in history, especially queer history. As for who isn’t there, anyone who is not willing to at least indulge in our story. We are in no way presenting our story as historical fact, and you don’t have to believe in our theory of who actually wrote Shakespeare’s plays. But you should be willing to at least have fun with it.
It’s an intense month, so where you’re able, how do you plan to relax, and are there any other shows you intend to see or want to recommend?
We all love theatre, so we’re hoping to be able to take in as many shows as possible during the Fringe. We’re particularly excited to see Antonio! by Butch Mermaid and Rock Bottom by Fresh Life Theatre. We will also definitely be checking out Alan Turing by Early Mornings Productions.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the world of the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
The Fringe is such a vital arena for trying out new, bold, innovative, and daring works. In an ideal world, audiences will be willing to give unknown companies and shows a chance. We were the new company on the scene last year, and we know how hard it is to get people in the door. Hopefully, everyone will find the audience they deserve at this year’s Fringe and at all future Fringes.
