by Sian Napier
snapier@thekmgroup.co.uk

THREE wreaths were laid in Canterbury on Saturday in memory of the playwright Christopher Marlowe who was born and grew up in the city.

The ceremony took place at the Elizabethan writer’s memorial by the Marlowe Theatre in The Friars and was organised by the Marlowe Society.

Cllr Harry Cragg laid the wreath on behalf of Canterbury council in place of the Sheriff who was unable to do so. The society’s wreath was laid by its chairman Valerie Colin-Russ and the third was laid by the bursar of King’s School and the head of its Marlowe House. The playwright attended King’s School.

At the ceremony Mrs Colin-Russ spoke about the research she had done on the history of the memorial.

Following the wreath-laying society members, who came from all over England, went to the Dominican Priory in St Peter’s Lane where they listened to an interview with David Manners, who has just published a book on the stage history of Canterbury and its theatres, going back to the Roman city.

He was interviewed by Canterbury writer Ken Pickering, a past chairman of the Marlowe Society, who discussed the book with Mr Manners, especially the chapters on Marlowe.

Society member Mike Frohnsdorff, from Faversham, said: “This proved to be a fascinating morning hearing about this new book. After lunch some members visited the Cathedral archives while others stayed at the Priory and listened to Elizabethan music performed by local musicians who are experts in this field and who played on old instruments.”

The afternoon’s talk was called Elizabethan Acting: How Was it For Them? and was given by Ian Caddy, an opera singer and expert on the use of gesture in the Elizabethan theatre.

Helped by actor Rob Tucker they demonstrated the differences between acting today and during Marlowe’s time.

“They took the rejection speech from Shakespeare’s Coriolanus and Rob read it as it would be performed today and then added the gestures showing how it would have been in Marlowe and Shakespeare’s time,” Mr Frohnsdorff said. “It was absolutely fascinating to see the difference and all in it was a great day.”

Marlowe Day in Canterbury is held as near as possible to May 30, the date when Marlowe was killed at the age of 29.