The Duke

Hoipolloi’s Artistic Director, Shôn Dale-Jones, the multiaward winning writer/performer behind Edinburgh Fringe favourite Hugh Hughes, wrote The Duke , a new solo show, to raise money for Save the Children’s Child Refugee Crisis Appeal . Whenever possible, the show is presented for free, with audiences asked to make a donation to the charity rather than buy a ticket. Funny, poignant and playful, 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, the show gently challenges our priorities in a world full of crisis. “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.” All profits from sales of this publication go directly to Save the Children’s Child Refugee Crisis Appeal .