Massacre at Paris - a play rarely seen in over 400 years, until now!
Massacre at Paris presented by Playbox at The Dream Factory, Warwick from 15 - 17 October 2026 at 7pm. Christopher Marlowe's drama depicting events surrounding St Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572.
Preview
In 1592, just twenty years after the streets of Paris ran with the blood of Protestants on St Bartholomew’s Day, Marlowe wrote a play that was too dangerous to print whole. Only actor’s mangled memories and audience’s varying recollections survive. Perhaps this is why our major companies have left it alone.
The ensemble of 25 young actors at Playbox Theatre have rebuilt Massacre as a raw theatre event for now.
PARIS 1572
A wedding is staged to, superficially, end a religious war – Catholic Princess Margaret to Protestant Henry Navarre. It’s a picture frame piece. A bell rings and a massacre begins that will consume a nation.
Playbox Theatre decided that the show was not to be a heritage revival. Rather, the world would be created anew. Reflections on industrial images, audience close up, the mechanics of slaughter. Drawing on European artistic genres the company wondered what the Elizabethan audiences may have felt watching living history re-enacted. Danger? Fear? What did first audiences feel? We want to find out.
This experimental approach has been developed using all we have of Marlowe’s text. Elizabethan turbo meets industrial circus.
Leading the cast is Conor Davis as Guise, Gracie Tomlin as Catherine De Medici, Lucy Quirk as Henry of Navarre and Hayden James Mulcock as Anjou with an ensemble of 25 actors.
Directed by Stewart McGill, who spoke to the Podcast, Beyond Shakespeare, about the production. ‘’Some call this play a wreckage. I rather feel it is a live wire. Marlowe was killed soon after unleashing his beast and I wanted to re-explore what the play had to say about those dangerous days after the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. No museum piece, it has been created as a live show, without being literal. Tribes, faith, power. A cost of belonging. It’s a thrilling and bloody spectacle. I suppose it’s designed for audiences who want a raw theatre event and who might like to be in the room when the play comes back. It’s a show!’’
Historic fact:
This was first performed by Lord Admirals Men at the Rose Theatre 1593. Printed 1600 as reported text. Only ten copies survive.
Marlowe drew on Huguenot pamphlet, A True and Plaine Reporte of the furious outrages of France 1573 and the refugees in Canterbury.
On Saturday 17 October 2026 at 5.15pm, before the final performance there will be a discussion in the auditorium. Admission is free and will end at 8pm giving you time to get refreshments before the show. Taking part will be Professor Abigail Rokison Woodall, The Shakespeare Institure, University of Birmingham, Steward McGill, Director of the production. Abigail and Stewart will be joined by members of the cast and guests.
Questions will include: Why should we revive this play? Why has it not been staged by our major companies? What are some of the challenges for young actors? What is the historical and contemporary significance?
Massacre at Paris runs from 15 - 17 October. Tickets are from £10 available from: https://www.playboxtheatre.com/events/the-massacre-at-paris/
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