Golden boy: Christopher Marlowe

William Shakespeare has been the only compulsory author on the national curriculum since its inception. But he was not the only playwright born in 1564 who moved to London from the provinces and took the Elizabethan stage by storm. The biography of Christopher Marlowe is strikingly similar to Shakespeare's, and his plays were just as highly regarded at the time – so why don't we study him?

This summer all seven of the plays attributed to Marlowe plus his collection of poetry were performed within the grounds of the Canterbury school where Marlowe himself studied as a boy. An incredible, star-studded cast of actors – including Dominic West as Dr. Faustus – presented script in hand performances at the recently renovated Malthouse Theatre in the grounds of the King's School. Remarkably, this meant that the Marlowe Sessions were the first time that the poet's entire back catalogue could be seen on stage as it was originally intended.