The Duke at HOME

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
The Duke at HOME Manchester
Brian Roberts

The Duke at HOME Manchester, Manchester 6 — 7 June 2018 Tickets from £10.00 — Book now

Inspired by a real family story, The Duke is a funny and poignant performance by Shôn Dale-Jones of Hoipolloi. Receiving The Scotsman’s Fringe First Award in Edinburgh in 2016, this thoughtful, yet powerful, performance visits HOME in Manchester for two performances this June.

Back in 1974, Dale-Jones’s father purchased a porcelain figure of the Duke of Wellington for £750 – the equivalent of around £8000 today. Dale-Jones’s father saw the figure as an investment for his family. In 2015 his widowed mother accidentally smashed the prized figurine while Dale-Jones was listening to a report about the refugee crisis and was busy rewriting a promising film script which, if the producers liked, would deliver a pleasing pay packet.

The Duke takes these ideas as a starting point and weaves together the tragi-comic fate of that family heirloom, the quandary of a scriptwriter stretching his integrity, and an unfolding disaster as thousands of children flee their homes. Blending fantasy with reality, this playful show gently seeks to challenge our priorities in a world full of crisis.

The Duke received The Scotsman’s Fringe First Award in Edinburgh in 2016 and has been produced in aid of Save the Children’s Appeal. The production was recently commissioned as a radio play for BBC Radio 4 and has raised over £47,000 for child refugees via Save The Children’s Emergency Fund. The Duke is followed by two performances of Me & Robin Hood, in which Dale-Jones examines the inequality that exists in society through his relationship with his best fictional friend, and truly legendary hero, the Prince of Thieves himself.

The Duke at HOME Manchester, Manchester 6 — 7 June 2018 Tickets from £10.00 Book now

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Where to go near The Duke at HOME

Manchester
Restaurant
Indian Tiffin Room, Manchester

Indian Tiffin Room is a restaurant specialising in Indian street food, with branches in Cheadle and Manchester. This is the information for the Manchester venue.

The Ritz Manchester live music venue
Manchester
Music venue
The Ritz

The Ritz was originally a dance hall, built in 1928, has hosted The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Smiths and is still going strong as a gig venue now.

Homeground
Manchester
Event venue
Homeground

Homeground is HOME’s brand new outdoor venue, providing an open-air space for theatre, food, film, music, comedy and more.

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Burgess Cafe Bar
at IABF

Small but perfectly-formed café – which also serves as the in-house bookstore, stocking all manner of Burgess-related works, along with recordings of his music. It’s a welcoming space, with huge glass windows making for a bright, welcoming atmosphere.

Rain Bar pub in Manchester
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Rain Bar

This huge three-floor pub, formerly a Victorian warehouse, then an umbrella factory (hence the name), has one of the city centre’s largest beer gardens. The two-tier terrace overlooks the Rochdale canal and what used to be the back of the Hacienda, providing an unusual, historic view of the city.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Briton’s Protection

Standing on the corner of a junction opposite The Bridgewater Hall, The Briton’s Protection is Manchester’s oldest pub. It has occupied the same spot since 1795, going under the equally patriotic name The Ancient Britain.

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