Half a million milestone for Dukes plays

Published: 26 July 2014
Reporter: David Upton

Joshua Miles and Jessica Baglow as Hansel and Gretel

During The Dukes run of Hansel & Gretel And More Tales From The Forest this summer, the number of people who have seen outdoor walkabout theatre plays in Lancaster since 1987 has hit half a million.

The milestone makes the theatre’s walkabout season the biggest of its kind in the UK.

Dukes director Joe Sumsion said: “The Dukes pioneered outdoor walkabout theatre in the UK in 1987 and we are delighted that 27 years on we have given half a million people the chance to experience one of the most special forms of theatre.”

Critics reckon this year’s Dukes outdoor offering is better than Regent Park’s theatre in London and one of the more spectacular theatre outings of recent times.

The Dukes set out on its journey in 1987 with a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Among the cast was Andy Serkis, currently starring in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and will soon appear in the new Star Wars film.

The Dukes outdoor season is now a major tourist attraction for visitors to Lancaster during the summer, helping the theatre to win the Lancashire Tourism Cultural Venue/Organisation Award 2013.

*Some links, including Amazon, Stageplays.com, ATG Tickets, LOVEtheatre, BTG Tickets, Ticketmaster, The Ticket Factory, LW Theatres and QuayTickets, are affiliate links for which BTG may earn a small fee at no extra cost to the purchaser.

Are you sure?