“The Duke”

Hello again,

On 9th February, a few of our company members went to see The Duke (2017) produced by HoiPolloi, PBJ Management and Theatre Royal Plymouth. The Duke is a solo show, which is very different to our production with 8 actors. However, we did take a lot of inspiration from the show. There are two main influences we took from the show which was the essence of the stage manager in performance and the simplicity of storytelling.

Shôn Dale-Jones, the only actor, greets every audience member as they enter the theatre, shaking their hand and asking how they are. This instantly allowed me, as an audience member, to feel very involved within the performance and the experience as a whole. This was something that, as a company, we discussed the impact of and how this could be incorporated within our piece as we are aiming to creating an inclusive and immersive experience for our audience. We then explored the idea of offering each audience member a hot chocolate as they enter the theatre as hot chocolate is often associated with helping people fall asleep.

Dale-Jones, for the entirety of the performance, is sat behind a desk with a laptop, to control the tech, and a microphone. The essence of the stage manager incorporated into performance was very interesting to me. I think that with the space we are trying to create, an immersive sleepover experience, having a desk on stage with laptops to control the tech will clash with the aesthetic. However, the involvement of the stage manager was definitely something we wanted to consider in our production. We have discussed potentially making reference to the stage manager’s presence, acknowledging that perhaps the sound is too loud or asking for a certain lighting cue. I think this is a nice idea to explore as it rips apart the conventional theatre experience, allowing the audience to forget they are watching a piece of theatre and fully emerge themselves in the art surrounding them.

The Duke was a fully emerging piece of theatre through the simple art of storytelling. The show did not need a lot of things happening on the stage to portray the story and this was something I found fascinating and interesting. This has taken an inspiration in the rehearsal room, allowing us to focus on things in a more sophisticated and simple manner as opposed to trying to imitate sleep disorders in a perhaps, gimmicky and immature fashion.

C.M.

Works Cited:

Dale-Jones, S. (2017) The Duke [live performance]. Performed by Shôn Dale-Jones. Lincoln: Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, 9 February.

Dale-Jones, S. (2017) The Duke. Cambridge, HoiPolloi.