Swan Theatre
Wed 2 October 2024 - 7.30pm
£13.00 - £15.00
Funny and poignant, The Duke is a one-man show by Shôn Dale-Jones, Artistic Director of Hoipolloi, who combine original storytelling with an inventive spirit.
The Duke weaves together the tragi-comic fate of a family heirloom - a porcelain figure of The Duke of Wellington, the quandary of a scriptwriter stretching his integrity and an unfolding disaster as thousands of children flee their homes. Blending fantasy and reality, this playful show gently challenges our priorities in a world full of crisis.
The Duke received The Scotsman's Fringe First Award when it premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016 and has been produced in aid of the Save the Children's Emergency Fund, with audience members giving to the worthwhile campaign after the performance.
“In 1974 my father invested £750 (£8,100 in today’s money) in a Royal Worcester porcelain figure of The Duke of Wellington on horseback - made to celebrate his victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. He kept the figure we affectionately called The Duke, wrapped in sponge, in a big box, under his bed. After he died in 2001, my mother decided to take the figure out and display it on the table in the bay window. Since 2005 I've been working on a film script, which is in the very final stages of development. In the autumn of 2015 I sit at my desk waiting for an email that will tell me what I need to do to the script to get it onto the screen. I turn the radio on. I listen to a report about the refugee crisis. My mother calls. She tells me she’s broken The Duke. My mother, my film script and the refugee crisis all need my attention.”
"He makes the real world seem wondrous and, in that, The Duke is its own antidote: art that alleviates, but also art that does its bit. Rather than presuming to lecture and guilt-trip us, it gently sets us thinking, then provides buckets for donations to Save the Children... You won't find a show with a bigger, better heart " - What’s On Stage | 4 Star Review
"Shôn Dale-Jones emerges from his Hugh Hughes alter-ego with a show at the Pleasance that combines three stories – about his granny, a film script, and the refugee crisis – into one thoughtful, quietly powerful whole." The Scotsman's Fringe First Award Winner | Edinburgh 2016
"Outstanding one-man show about (but not limited to) the film industry, the refugee crisis and a porcelain figure of the Duke of Wellington on horseback." Theatre Bubble -Madeline Perham | 5 Star Review
"A fantastic and likeable storyteller" Edinburgh Festivals Magazine | 4 Star Review
Venue:
Swan Theatre
Address:
The Moors
MAP
Tel No:
01905 611 427
Parking Info:
With directions and map embeds
Access Info:
And specific Access info
You may also like
Oct
01
2024
Bring Your Own Baby Comedy - October
Swan Theatre
Oct
11
2024
Ed Byrne - Tragedy Plus Time
Huntingdon Hall
Oct
13
2024
An Evening with Andy Hamilton - POSTPONED
Huntingdon Hall
Oct
22
2024
Jimeoin - Who's Your Man
Huntingdon Hall