When theatre creates social media buzz

The University of Ottawa Department of Theatre presented a Drama Guild production of The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe, directed by Tibor Egervari, March 8 to 12, 2011. Written around 1589, during Shakespeare’s lifetime, Marlowe’s play is set on the Mediterranean island of Malta, scene of a struggle for dominance between Spain and the Ottoman Empire.

The play tells the story of Barabas the Jew, and his plotting, rife with intrigue and revenge amidst religious and racial conflicts. Marlowe’s play presents a stereotypical view of Jews, as well as fabricated depictions of Turkish Muslims and Catholics, which the Drama Guild’s production aims to expose.

The Drama Guild wished to encourage discussion of the stereotypes presented in the play, and had included social media both in the promotion of the play and during the performances. Audience members were invited to share their opinions on Twitter and Facebook, and the messages were projected on screens on both sides of the stage during the show. The main protagonist, Barabas, can be found on Facebook (Barabas Of-Malta) and Twitter (jewofmalta), where visitors can learn more about this unique character and special theatre production. Theatre goers who were tweeting were encouraged to add the hashtag #thejom so that the Drama Guild could track the users' comments as they are published. [External sites.]

The Jew of Malta opened Tuesday, March 8 and runed through Saturday, March 12, 2011 in Academic Hall.

Nadine Saint-Amour
Photo: Mélanie Provencher
Published: March 2011