There’s so much to tell you about, but we’ll start by introducing Deborah Shaw, our new Chief Executive.

Deborah, who is currently Head of Creative Direction and Innovation at Historic Royal Palaces (including the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, and Kensington Palace), will take up the post on Monday 10 September.

She is a former Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), a role that included the directorship of the World Shakespeare Festival for London 2012. She was also Director of the RSC Complete Works Festival 2006/7. Her other posts have included Director of Bath Shakespeare Festival and Artistic Director of Chester Gateway Theatre. Shaw was named one of the UK’s 10 most influential creatives in the Hospital Club’s H-100 Awards 2015.

Deborah’s role at The Marlowe will be to provide inspirational leadership and a strategic vision. She will work with The Marlowe team in order to maintain and cultivate a vibrant, creative and financially stable organisation, with the ability to develop and grow artistically, commercially and sustainably.

She said: “I am delighted to be appointed Chief Executive of The Marlowe at this exciting moment in its evolution.

“The Marlowe has been a real success story in recent years and I look forward very much to working with the trustees, partners and the theatre team on an ambitious future. Together we will continue to serve the audiences and communities of Canterbury and east Kent, nurture local talent and extend The Marlowe’s influence as a cultural powerhouse for the region.

“When I first visited Canterbury I was struck by the vibrancy of the arts scene at every scale; there was a top-flight musical at The Marlowe Theatre, a recital in the cathedral and local bands and poets performing in a pub. I felt really at home. It’s a beautiful city and a privilege to be contributing to its cultural life.”

Deborah added: “I’ve had an amazing five years setting up and leading the team responsible for creating extraordinary experiences for audiences at the palaces cared for by Historic Royal Palaces – from the 2014 Poppies installation at the Tower, through a range of award-winning theatre, dance, music and digital commissions and collaborations. I leave behind an extremely talented team of creative producers and I’m excited to see what they do next.”

Kit catch up

All the latest from our newest venue.

There has been a hive of activity in The Kit over the past couple of months and there is a lot more happening now too!

As part of The Marlowe’s Little Words children’s festival, Hero And Her Paper Navy brought a fleet of young visitors to the Stour Street building. They learned about objects from the museum, how childhood games have changed over the years, and enjoyed a puppet show and story-telling in The Great Hall.

The Marlowe Society held its annual Marlowe Day at The Kit. Star guest Frank Barrie talked about his life in theatre acting out scenes from Macbeth and Hamlet in The Great Hall.

The beautiful Hollinshed Chronicles, first published in 1577 and on which Shakespeare and Marlowe based their history plays, spent a week at The Kit (with kind permission of the Marlowe Society at the University of Kent, Special Collections and Archives). It’s hoped the volumes may in future form part of the exhibition celebrating Canterbury’s literary heritage which The Kit will host.

Visiting professor, Alison Findlay (Lancaster University) led a play reading of Love’s Victory by Elizabethan playwright, Lady Mary Wroth.

The Young Visitors’ Programme kicked off this month with pupils from St Joseph’s, Aylesham, and St Peter’s, Sittingbourne, visiting for a carousel of activities (main picture). This included a drama workshop and they created their own Elizabethan ruff, while also learning about the life of Christopher Marlowe.

We offered activity at The Kit as part of Canterbury’s Medieval Pageant on Saturday.

The Marlowe’s Ghost: Saving Dr Faustus escape room is very near to completion and we will be opening that to the public this summer – watch this space!

Unknown role for Ben

There are exciting developments on Return Of The Unknown, our production at Dover Marine Station to commemorate the centenary of the Armistice.

Our creative team is working to develop the event: James Baldwin, The Marlowe’s Literary Associate, is polishing the final draft of the script; Anna Pool, our Musical Director, is working with schools and community groups to create some of the original music; Director Matt Costain is beginning to cast the professional company for the production (as well as appearing in A Monster Calls at The Old Vic).

The first of this casting is Ben Roddy, best known as our pantomime dame. He said: “After working with The Marlowe for nine years now, I’m absolutely delighted to have been asked to join the cast of this new production. It’s a very important part of Kent’s history; a story that needs to be told. And, as a proud Canterbury resident, I’m especially excited to be involved; I can’t wait to get started.”

Ben will play several characters in Return Of The Unknown. As well as pantomime, he has worked extensively in all areas of the acting profession, directing and producing various productions and appearing in more than 100 shows in theatres across the UK and beyond. Favourite roles include Tom in Table Manners, Cassio in Othello and Mr Collins in Pride And Prejudice. He has various film credits, including Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, and the recently-released British comedy, Patrick.

Last year, Ben was named Dame Of The Year at The Great British Pantomime awards for his role in Peter Pan (The Marlowe Theatre, 2016/17).

All are invited to join Ben: we will be holding auditions for our company of community performers from this week. We are looking for approximately 50 performers (aged 13 and over) to play key roles in the production. Auditions will be held in Canterbury, Ashford, Dover, Faversham and Birchington. If you enjoy performing, please do get involved and sign up for an audition slot. No preparations are required as the audition will take the form of a workshop. There will be five performances of the production from Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 November.

We are also looking for local choirs of all ages – schools or community groups – to take part in the production. Choirs can perform for one or all of the performances, whatever suits your group. To find out more about this, or the auditions, please email Return Of The Unknown Producer Fiona Banks.

Please do get involved, or spread the word to your friends and family who are performers and/or singers. This production is a celebration of all our creative talent in east Kent and we need you to help bring it life.

We are grateful to all the funders, sponsors and donors who have helped make this epic production possible, especially principal sponsors Pharon Independent Financial Advisers and project partners Port of Dover.

Dance feats

There have been many great achievements in the last few months – and more to come.

We love working with Sir Matthew Bourne (and thankfully, it seems to be mutual!). The choreographer was the guest of honour at our first annual supporters’ dinner in May. Thank you to him, everyone who attended, and our wine sponsor, Simpsons Wine Estate.

Find out more about becoming a Marlowe supporter on our memberships pages.

In his speech, Sir Matt spoke about one of two visits to The Marlowe next year. This is his New Adventures’ yet-to-be-revealed production, featuring young local dancers and professionals (similar to Lord Of The Flies in 2014). Successful auditions for this amazing opportunity were recently held.

Young dancers also took to The Marlowe stage for a brief presentation in front of a packed house before the Friday evening performance of Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella in May.

The Marlowe Dance Network is a year-round project for young dancers to engage with the best of our presented programme.

Steam (last week – 5 and 6 July) was a presentation by the network involving more than 440 dancers from 25 schools across Kent and leading choreographers in residence at Canterbury Christ Church University. This exciting mix of all dance genres continues the tradition established by Spires Academy, Canterbury.

The Marlowe Dance Network and Dance Warehouse, Canterbury, presented a reinterpretation of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Match Girl on Saturday and Sunday.

They shall go to the ball!

We’re delighted to announce the Cinderella cast.

The pantomime will star Harry Reid, Phil “Mister Maker” Gallagher and Sally Lindsay, alongside Canterbury favourites, Ben Roddy and Lloyd Hollett.

Harry (who will play Dandini) is best known for his role as Ben Mitchell in the BBC’s EastEnders. He is currently appearing in an Agatha Christie’s Witness For The Prosecution at London County Hall.

Phil (Buttons) has appeared in several Marlowe pantomimes (he describes the theatre as his “favourite in the world”), and Cinderella marks his 10th consecutive year with panto producers, Evolution Productions.

BAFTA-nominated Phil is known to millions for his role as BBC’s Mister Maker. Since its first airing on CBeebies in 2007, the show has been a worldwide hit, transmitting in more than 100 countries. Since 2010, Phil has also written, presented and co-produced several Mister Maker live tours, in this country and around the world (including 18 sold-out shows at the iconic Sydney Opera House).

Sally (Fairy Godmother) has an extensive TV and stage career, but is probably best known for her five years as barmaid Shelley Unwin in ITV’s Coronation Street. Her first break came in the ground-breaking sitcom The Royle Family, and roles in Phoenix Nights and Fat Friends soon followed.

Also on TV, Sally has appeared in the BAFTA-winning Murdered For Being Different, Still Open All Hours, Mount Pleasant, and many others. With her friend Suranne Jones, she created and starred in Scott And Bailey. Theatre credits include A Taste Of Honey and Everybody Loves A Winner. Sally has diversified into presenting and film voice-overs.

Ben (Ugly Sister) needs little introduction (but you can read all about him in the Return Of The Unknown story).

Joining Ben as an Ugly Sister is Lloyd Hollett, in his eighth pantomime at The Marlowe. From his stage debut at the age of 10 (Oliver! at Margate’s Theatre Royal), he has entertained all over the world with his unique and original style of comedy wordplay.

He regularly performs for Warner Leisure Hotels and on various cruise lines, has produced two DVDs, and for many years has written for Stephen Mulhern.

Harry, Phil, Ben, Lloyd and Evolution Productions are all based in Kent – making Cinderella a truly “homegrown” production!

Appearing with them in Cinderella will be Patrick Clancy (Baron Hardup), Oliver Watton (Prince Charming) and Cara Dudgeon (Cinderella). All have extensive theatre, film and TV credits, and Cara (who has twice been nominated for Best Female in the panto awards), is also a recording artist.

Cinderella writer, co-producer and director is Paul Hendy, of Evolution Productions. He said: “We’re incredibly proud of The Marlowe pantomime’s reputation for being one of the biggest and best pantomimes in the country. This year, we have an incredibly talented cast and I aim to make this production of Cinderella the most magical pantomime of all.

“We’re thrilled that Harry, Phil and National Treasure Sally are joining us. They’re great performers with lots of talent, energy and incredible stage presence.”

Cinderella is sponsored by Iconic Jewellery Store.

Getting to know us

Our Head Chef Martin Dixon-Sandwell comes out of the kitchen to make himself known!

Please introduce yourself:
Hello! My name is Martin Dixon-Sandwell and I’m the Head Chef at The Marlowe. I’ve worked in many established restaurants, from fine dining in London to local places, and this is my first Head Chef role. I’m married to Alisha, have two beautiful children (Dylan, who’s seven, and two-year-old Pippa-Grace) and I’m a keen biker.

What’s the best thing about working at The Marlowe?
The best thing for me about working in the theatre is I get to work with some amazing and diverse people from all over and no two days are the same. There are always different shows and different customers and there’s a friendly vibe in the air.

What’s the most challenging thing?
The most challenging part of my job role is the size of the kitchen (tiny!) and time frame we have to produce locally-sourced and fresh food to our customers.

Describe The Marlowe in three words:
Best job ever.

What do you get up to in your spare time?
My spare time is spent with my family doing daddy and husband roles, however I do like a good motorbike ride.

How would your friends describe you?
Hard-working, witty, approachable, ready for a challenge, likes banter, honest and a true friend.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
10 years older, 10 years wiser and still working in the best job ever.

What’s the best thing you’ve seen at a theatre and why?
Before working at The Marlowe I was never into theatre, but I started, I try and see as much as I can – I’ve grown a passion for it. The best thing I have ever seen was War Horse. It was so powerful and moving and it touched my heart in such a big way that I’ve even named my motorbike Joey!

Tell us something about yourself which will make us laugh!
My son really wants to be an ice cream man when he’s older. One day he was playing on my phone as he has done many times before; I thought nothing of it. When I got my phone back, I had a notification three hours later from eBay saying: “Congratulations on your win. Payment is due”. I thought “hang on a minute” and went on my eBay account to find that my son bought an £8,000 ice cream van! Oh dear – I had to explain the story to the seller!