Birkbeck Creative Writing Lecturer’s new play to be shown at Shakespeare’s Globe
Holy Warriors is a story of holy wars and the struggle for Jerusalem
Holy Warriors, the new play by David Eldridge, playwright and lecturer in creative writing in Birkbeck’s Department of English and Humanities, will be on at Shakespeare’s Globe from 19 July – 24 August.
The play spans centuries and continents in the telling of the story of the holy wars and the struggle for Jerusalem.
Eldridge, who took part in a Birkbeck Arts Week event in May, explains that his inspiration for the play came from reading Thomas Asbridge’s The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land, and Jonathan Phillips’ Holy Warriors. He said: “I read a lot of history but didn’t know much about medieval history at that point. I was shaken to realise that towards the end of the third crusade, when Richard the Lionheart and Saladin were locked in a stalemate, the things that they were discussing were the same things that are still being discussed and argued over in the Middle East today.”
Eldridge describes why he felt that the play would work well at Shakespeare’s Globe, saying: “Reading the narrative of the diplomatic struggles between Richard and Saladin alongside the incident of Saladin’s soldiers disguising themselves in order to carouse with the Crusaders’ reminded me of Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays, where you also have scenes of high politics juxtaposed with tavern scenes. I realised that the play would work well at Shakespeare’s Globe and I approached their artistic director, who had produced my first ever play.”
Eldridge, who teaches on Birkbeck’s BA Creative Writing programme, told the Arts Week audience: “You can’t think of this as a career – writing for the theatre is a way of life. Lots of people write plays based on what they think will be put on, but I think that you have to just write what’s in your heart and trust the imagination of the audience.”
Holy Warriors is directed by James Dacre, and cast members include Alexander Siddig as Saladin and Geraldine Alexander as Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Find out more:
- Holy Warriors at the Globe
- Birkbeck Arts Week podcasts