The Royal Court Theatre will host four free performances of Shôn Dale-Jones’ new solo show The Duke at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs in November 2016 and any proceeds raised on the nights will go to Save the Children’s Child Refugee Crisis Appeal.
Written and performed by Shôn Dale-Jones, The Duke playfully mixes fantasy and reality, taking audiences on an imaginative and touching journey which gently challenges us to consider our priorities in a world full of crisis.
Dale-Jones said: “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 was at my desk, waiting for an email which 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 needed my attention.”
The Duke will be performed in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs before E V Crowe’s The Sewing Group on Monday 28 November to Wednesday 30 November 2016 and on Friday 2 December 2016.
The Duke is produced by Hoipolloi, PBJ Management and Theatre Royal Plymouth in association with Save the Children. The production opens at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe today.
To find out more, visit: royalcourttheatre.com