Award Winning Theatre Maker, Shôn Dale-Jones, tours to The Point, Eastleigh on Friday 4 April.
Shôn Dale-Jones tours with his Fringe First award winning show, The Duke, which, alongside Me & Robin Hood – a show about inequality, privilege and poverty – has raised over £100,000 for charities supporting children refugees and street-connected children.
Dale-Jones has created theatre for over twenty years that really connects with his audiences, making people laugh and cry whilst challenging their sense of reality.
The Duke was originally made by Shôn in 2016 in response to the refugee crisis that exploded following ‘the Syrian conflict. The Duke is being re-written and revived in 2024 as the refugee crisis has become more extreme following further conflicts and disasters around the world.
Through his one-man show, the multi-award winning writer/performer explores kindness, generosity and the value of what we do.
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. Shôn blends theatre, comedy and storytelling with fantasy and reality to gently challenge our priorities in a world full of crisis.
“Every show I make is made for a particular reason,” explains Shôn. “I made The Duke in 2016 because I wanted to find a way of doing something practical about the refugee crisis.
“I couldn’t watch more images of the terrifying reality that these people are suffering without contributing towards the relief effort.
“I’m not a doctor or an engineer – I’m a writer/performer, and so I decided I could write a show which connects us to the crisis and raise money to support Save The Children’s refugee and crisis work.
“Now, I’ve returned to The Duke because the refugee crisis has become more extreme and heavily politicised.
“It feels more important than ever to remind each other that we are talking about people. People like us. It might be complicated to find solutions to the crisis, but it’s straightforward to practice empathy for innocent people whose lives are being torn apart.“
The Duke has been performed at venues across the world from Africa to Australia and at a host of London theatres. In addition to its Fringe First award, it was highly commended in the Sit Up and Act awards, nominated for a Prix Europa award in the Best European Radio Fiction category, and it has received 20+ five and four star reviews, as well as being made into a radio play in 2018 for BBC Radio 4.
The revised show is touring to venues throughout England and Wales, and is asking audiences to continue to make a difference to the lives of refugees by inviting them to donate to charity after seeing the show.
“We feel passionately about what the show is aiming to achieve,” adds Shôn, “To make audiences wonder about the value of art at a time when the world is in turmoil ,and to reach out and empathise with the refugee crisis.
“We want to increase our empathy for people whose lives have been torn apart and forced them to seek refuge and sanctuary away from home.
“The show is a vehicle for raising money and awareness – it’s a conduit to an urgent and immediate need and we hope our audiences join us in empathising and raising money to support this cause.”
Shôn Dale-Jones performs The Duke at The Point, Eastleigh on Friday 4 April, where he will continue to raise money for Save the Children’s Emergency Fund.
For more information and to book tickets: visit: www.thepointeastleigh.co.uk.
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