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The Dukes presents
Merlin and the Legend of King Arthur
A new adaptation by Kevin Dyer
Friday 8 July-Saturday 13 August (now extended to 20th August 2011 by popular demand)
Directed by Joe Sumsion
Designed by Alison Heffernan
Music by Mark Melville
Lighting by Brent Lees
A story of medieval magic and myth will cast its spell over the 25th anniversary of the UK’s largest outdoor walkabout theatre event staged by The Dukes in Lancaster this summer.
From July 8-August 13, The Dukes will present Merlin and the Legend of King Arthur, a new play specially commissioned to mark 25 years of outdoor productions.
The play has been written by Kevin Dyer, winner of the 2010 Writers Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Play for Children and Young People and associate artist of The Dukes.
Merlin and the Legend of King Arthur is set in the Dark Ages when England is in turmoil, battles rage and evil lurks behind every corner. Tales of enchantment, terrifying quests, a beautiful sorceress and a fearsome dragon mix fantasy and reality in a family experience like no other.
Since 1987, The Dukes has established a national reputation for producing outstanding outdoor theatre, leading the way in this particular field.
The Dukes first outdoor promenade production in 1987 was A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Among the cast was awardwinning actor Andy Serkis.
From 1987-2011, The Dukes has staged 36 plays in Lancaster’s Williamson Park, attracting 460,000 people in total.
Dukes director, Joe Sumsion said: “I remember when open-air theatre was something you heard about from the continent but there was very little of it in this country. The Dukes championed a new approach, creating popular site specific walkabout productions which have become fantastically successful.”
The promenade season attracts thousands of people from across the country and abroad to enjoy a special theatrical experience set within the glorious Williamson Park.
And this summer will be no exception. Joe said: “Big, epic stories work particularly well outdoors. This year’s audiences will experience magic, transformation and adventure.”
To book tickets, ring The Dukes box office on 01524 598500 or visit
Ends
Performance dates: Friday 8 July-Saturday 13 August, 7.15pm
Tickets £12.50 - £19(£7-£13 concessions)
Box Office: 01524 598500 www.dukes-lancaster.org
Merlin’s magic goes on
Due to popular demand, The Dukes 25th anniversary season of walkabout shows in Williamson Park is to be extended.
Merlin and the Legend of King Arthur has proved so popular with audiences and critics alike that it will run for an extra week, closing on August 20.
Since it opened on July 8, this epic story of medieval magic and myth has cast its spell over audiences and received 4-star reviews from The Guardian and The Times.
And now even more people will have the chance to experience the drama set in the Dark Ages when England is in turmoil, battles rage and evil lurks behind every corner.
Tales of enchantment, terrifying quests, a beautiful sorceress and a fearsome dragon mix fantasy and reality in what has become the UK’s largest outdoor walkabout theatre event.
Since 1987, The Dukes has established a national reputation for producing outstanding outdoor promenade theatre, leading the way in this particular field.
However, this summer’s show will be The Dukes last walkabout for the foreseeable future. Next year it will stage Sabbat in the round inside a large marquee in Williamson Park as part of the 400th anniversary commemorations of the Lancashire Witch Trials.
A potted history of the park shows, Williamson Park, Lancaster
June 24, 1987 – Midsummer Day – was the first time Lancaster’s Dukes theatre took an audience promenading in Williamson Park.
And this summer, The Dukes celebrates 25 years of staging what has become the UK’s biggest outdoor walkabout theatre event.
The first play to be presented by The Dukes in Williamson Park was, appropriately enough for opening night, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Among the cast was Andy Serkis who has gone on to play Gollum in Lord of the Rings and King Kong on the big screen. The mix of great drama told against the backdrop of glorious parkland, woods and a building once described as the grandest monument in England proved an instant hit with 10,000 people attending that first summer. Since 1987, a total of 460,000 people have promenaded with The Dukes.
Walkabout theatre has not only been an entertaining challenge for audiences. Hundreds of actors and dedicated behind-the-scenes teams must adapt too.
Among the actors who have cut their teeth on The Dukes promenade shows are Morecambe’s Cherylee Houston, who currently plays Izzy Armstrong in Coronation Street and was a youth performer in Treasure Island in 1991, and Lancaster’s Andy Wear who was Jim Hawkins in the same production and went on to play Alun Morris in The Royal
While the actors park show experience may have been fleeting, there are some members of the current creative team who have longer connections. When The Dukes decided to follow their opening season with two shows in 1988, Joe Sumsion, who is now in charge of The Dukes and is directing the anniversary production, was assistant stage manager. Lighting designer Brent Lees has worked on 20 years of shows and John Newman Holden, production and operations manager, has been involved since 1992. This year they join forces again for the 25th anniversary season – Merlin and The Legend of King Arthur which runs from July 8-August 13. For more information, ring 01524 598500 or www.dukes-lancaster.org