That Thing at The Dukes

Monday 12th July will see a presentation of new work by young people from the Senior Youth Theatre – also known as That Thing at the Dukes.

After the success of February’s “It Snows”, the Dukes Senior Youth Theatre were given a new concept, the general idea being that of new work by young writers. Members were asked to brainstorm ideas and if they so wished, to write a piece of work that could potentially be developed. We knew that there were several promising writers in the company and wished to encourage new work – who knows, we may have a 21st Century Shakespeare on our hands...

The first piece to be brought forward was ‘Small Ads’ by Jack Hathaway. Inspired by political events of the time, Jack’s piece focuses around the everyday lives of the unemployed, in this case three kooky individuals sharing a squat called Sparky, Julie and the drug addicted Danny. After an initial reading, fellow youth theatre members gave constructive criticism and comments on how it funny it was. and so the writer went away to improve his piece, adding bits and pieces with regard to any updates in the political climate. Nick Clegg, Osborne and Cameron... no politician is safe when Hathaway’s around.
Jack went away and amended his play, and the finished product can be described as 'The Thick of It' meets 'Skins' which will entertain both adults and young people.

Another youth theatre member, Rosa Cooper Davies, during her time off from her Lost Boy rehearsals for Peter Pan, wrote her own piece exploring serendipity with a sprinkle of existentialism. Or, to you and me, a story of two strangers- newly unemployed Jack, and free spirited Grace- meeting on a park bench and discussing life paths. Think 'Coffee and Cigarettes' meets '500 Days of Summer'.

Rehearsals have taken place at every Youth Theatre meeting on Mondays, and often we have been split off into two groups: Team Bench (Rosa’s play) and Team Small Ads (Jack). Our overseer, Louie, who directed ‘It Snows’ and last year’s ‘The Things She Sees’, which toured to the National Theatre in London, has supervised the group sessions over the past few months, with a definite “hands-off” approach, that she has faithfully abided to. Honest.

Two Project Managers were assigned the task of ensuring the night goes ahead smoothly and booking music for the night, which will be provided by Lucas Button and Katy Pickles. The vibe that we’ve tried to go for is a relaxed gathering that can show off the raw talent of our budding writers and actors.



That Thing will start on the 12 July, at 7:30pm and continue every Monday night until August 23rd. The event is free and is similar to The Dukes Chill Out Tuesdays but with acting rather than music! Think about it – you might even be witness to the debut of future Oscar winning screenwriters, and you can say that you were there!

Written by Anna Sainsbury, Young Theatre Maker, The Dukes