2014/15Annual Report

“The grandaddy of outdoor promenade theatre shows for family audiences.”The Guardian on Hansel and Gretel (July 2014)

Hansel & Gretel (June - August 2014)

THE DUKES MISSIONTo create and present great art which changes people’s lives for the better

THE DUKES VISIONTo be one of England’s outstanding producing theatres and cultural centres.

INTRODUCTIONHere at The Dukes we recognise that our historic core funders, namely, The Arts Council, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster City Council are all facing difficult times. Their continued faith in us and what we do is therefore appreciated all the more. Whilst public investment in the arts certainly makes economic sense given that the creative industries are the most rapidly growing part of our national economy and one in twenty people in the UK depend on the arts for their livelihood in one way or another, the social benefit of the arts is also becoming more widely acknowledged. There are numerous tangible examples of this in the work that The Dukes has done in the last year in our own communities here in Lancashire. People living with dementia and their families and carers have benefitted from a unique and trail blazing pilot project which has included dementia friendly film screenings and other arts participation. That project has now attracted major funding so that it can be shared with other arts organisations nationally.

The Dukes’ new cultural partnership with the University of Lancaster has seen collaborative work with other hard-to-reach communities and is helping to tackle barriers to social mobility.

The work of the Shattering Images Theatre Group for young people with learning disabilities continues to be a personal highlight for me. This is not theatre at the margins, but theatre of the very best quality. Also anyone who saw the production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” by the theatre group formed of homeless people working under the banner “Alternative Outcomes” will always now associate Ebenezer Scrooge with “Ebenezer Dealer”. This amazing production toured the North West and was also broadcast on BBC Radio Lancashire on Christmas Eve.

My predecessor as Chair, Siân Johnson, spent much of her final year with The Dukes overseeing a fundamental change in the leadership structure of the executive in terms of Joe Sumsion’s key role of “Director” of the organisation being split into two with Joe continuing at The Dukes as “Artistic Director” and Ivan Wadeson being recruited as “Executive Director”. This shared leadership role is a reflection of the determination of the Board of Directors to prioritise financial resilience, but not at the expense of artistic merit. I am pleased to say both appointments are working out very well, which is a tribute both to the time and effort which went into thinking through the structure and not least to the individuals themselves.

I would also like to thank Siân for her dedication to The Dukes over a period of two full terms of 8 years in total as a Board Member and I wish her well for the future.

The mission of The Dukes remains to create and present great art which changes people’s lives for the better and we continue to do that with alacrity.

According to Marketing Lancashire, Lancaster is “a small City with a big story” and The Dukes is a significant part of that story. There is increasing recognition that the arts are key to our national economy and certainly if Lancaster is to make strides to be recognised as a heritage and tourist destination, the contribution which The Dukes has already made to that end and will continue to make in the future, cannot be overestimated.

None of what The Dukes has achieved over the last 12 months could be done without the dedication of the talented, versatile and hardworking staff and volunteers. For me it is a privilege to be involved.

Gary Rycroft, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Dukes Playhouse Ltd

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REACHING MORE PEOPLEWe have encouraged 140,833 attendances at the Dukes over the last year. The number of young people’s participations across the county and attendances at film screenings have increased since last year, despite a light drop in the number of live events presented.

“Celluloid ghosts spellbinding on stage…An immensely enjoyable evening.”The Guardian on The Life and Times of Mitchell and Kenyon (April 2014)

*Young people’s participations were particularly high in 2012-13 due to our work on the Preston Guild

Beneficiaries 2014-15 2013-14 2012-13 2011-12

Audiences for Live Performances and Events (including Live Satellite events)

56,076 64,135 44,756 59,788

Young People’s Participations 21,572 19,721 31,048 * 19,440

Attendances at film screenings/film education events

32,282 29,859 29,663 33,485

Attendances at art exhibitions 18,620 21,587 17,131 18,833

Attendances on tour 5,283 - 3,846 -

Estimated additional admissions 7,000 7,850 5,809 750

Total audiences/participations 140,833 143,152 132,253 132,296

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The Life and Times of Mitchell and Kenyon (April 2014)

This year the Dukes was home to some innovative new writing, working alongside digital theatre specialists imitating the dog and our resident young companies. Productions included:

The Life and Times of Mitchell & Kenyon by Daragh CarvilleA Lancashire based story of the film-making pioneers who helped create the birth of modern cinema.

Hansel and Gretel by Zosia WandAn adventure in the woods with larger than life characters.

When. Will. I. Will. I. Be. Famous by Gilly SumsionHilarious and thoughtful production from Shattering Images, our theatre company for young adults with learning difficulties.

Cinderella by Ian KershawA party of breakdancing sisters and dancing chickens.

A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemingway adapted by imitating the dogA provocative and powerful production reflecting young people’s attitude to war, coinciding with commemorations of the First World War.

HOME GROWN PRODUCTIONS

“Rarely has the futility of conflict been so powerfully presented on stage.” AAAA

The Stage on A Farewell to Arms (October 2014)

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A Farewell to Arms (April 2014)

Building on our Home Grown productions, we presented a wide range of visiting theatre, music, dance and comedy. Highlights of the programme include:

Week-long VisitsNorthern Broadsides returned with their acclaimed revival of She Stoops to Conquer. Bolton Octagon brought their excellent production of Hindle Wakes by Stanley Houghton, a compelling slice of Lancashire life at the outbreak of the World War One.

One Night PerformancesMultidisciplinary performance company Kiln made their debut at The Dukes with Journey Around My Skull. Several other companies performed inThe Dukes for the first time including The Theatre Centre with The Muddy Choir, Chipping Norton Theatre with Around the World in 80 Days and Sparkle and Dark with Killing Roger.

Cutting edge performance events such as “I Wish I Was Lonely”, programmed with our partners at Lancaster University.

AfrovibesExtraordinary music and dance-theatre pieces from South Africa arrived in Lancaster as part of the inspirational Afrovibes festival. Highlights included a capella group The Soil performing to a packed audience, along with a local 50 strong choir.

EntertainmentStand-up comedy and music including Paul Chowdhry, Tim Key, Katherine Ryan , Courtney Pine, The Puppini Sisters and John Cooper Clarke.

TOURING PRODUCTIONS

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Journey Around My Skull (February 2015)

For the sixth consecutive year these strands saw growth in audience numbers, with over 32,000 cinema attendances and a further 7,872 for live-by-satellite performances. Highlights include:

Sci-FiFollowing on from 2013’s Gothic season the British Film Institute held another nationwide Blockbuster season with 2014’s focus on Science Fiction. Highlights included well attended screenings of Akira and 2001: A Space Odyssey, and most notably a screening of Metropolis with a live score by Lee Affen and Ric Smithson.

Journeying TogetherThe Journeying Together screenings continued to be successful, attracting press attention from both The Guardian and BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. Following The Guardian article The Dukes was subsequently invited by Film Hub North West Central to apply for funds to expand the programme to other venues. This bid was successful and is due to start in 2015/16.

EventsHighlights included: a screening of 20,000 Days On Earth followed by a satellite Q&A with and a performance by Nick Cave; A season of films about music and musicians which included a Lancaster Folk Club night to accompany a screening of Inside Llewyn Davis and an evening with author Jon Ronson; North West Film Archive screening of footage from World War One.

PartnershipsFilm screenings were held in partnership with Lancaster Arts City First Fridays, Holocaust Memorial Day, Lancaster Transition City, Youth Forum’s Take Over, RSPB, Dying Matters and Afrovibes.

Popular titles Included Selma, Mr Turner, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game and Boyhood.

ON SCREEN

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Selma (2015)

The Creative Learning Department exists to widen access to theatre, film and the arts and to offer a range of creative opportunities. This includes a vibrant Youth Theatre, a Schools Cultural Programme and a community-led inclusion programme. Creative Learning highlights in 2014-2015 include:

Alternative Outcomes We continued our pioneering work with LDHAS (Lancaster District Homeless Action Service) by creating and supporting a theatre group made up of people with experiences of street homelessness. In December 2015 they performed an adaptation of A Christmas Carol entitled Ebenezer Dealer on The Rake – a recording of this was subsequently played on BBC Radio Lancashire on Christmas Eve and won the Bronze Gillard award for radio broadcasting

RedbananallamaRedbananallama began creating inclusive cabaret nights with, by and for people with disabilities. The first event was themed around the hit film Cowboys & Aliens in 2014. This was followed up by Cinderella in 2015 hosted alongside our annual Christmas show in The Round. Both shows featured songs, dances, monologues, sketches and even a bit of magic!

Light Up Lancaster Our Young Actors and Young Company performed as part of 2014’s Light Up Lancaster which saw over 7,000 people follow an arts trail around Lancaster. Within this we created Made at The Storey, a site specific promenade piece of theatre that explored the history of The Storey. Spread across three rooms with professional sound designers and writers – this was one of our most ambitious projects to date!

Shattering ImagesWe continued our work with young people with learning disabilities and Shattering Images performed their annual original, devised production. When. Will. I. Will. I. Be. Famous? satirised celebrity culture from the point of view of disabled young people and included professional wrestler Jonny Phere AKA The Psychotic Warrior.

CREATIVE LEARNING

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Shattering Images with professional wrestler Jonny Phere

The Dukes gallery hosted 16 exhibitions of by local artists, photographers and groups. Highlights include:

How To Get Ahead In The Theatre (May 2014)Exquisite carvings of heads in porcelain by Alan Ward.

Sunday Painter (July 2014)52 paintings completed in one year by The Dukes very own Simon Nixon.

Image A Day (February 2015)A journal of paintings, collage and photography by Ingrid Christie.(visited by the celebrated American humourist David Sedaris of BBC Radio 4 fame)

Halton Mill: Lech Series (March 2015)Abstract digital collage based on the dilapidated interior of Halton Mill by Catriona Stamp.

GALLERY

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Sunday Painter, Simon Nixon (July 2014)

The Dukes is a cultural resource for our region. In 2014-15 we continued to develop our excellent relationships and partnerships with, amongst others, AGE UK Lancashire, Lancaster University and Arts Lancashire. Highlights include:

Light Up LancasterA Lancaster Arts Partnership and Lancaster City Council event illuminating Lancaster’s heritage through the arts.

Developing the new Cultural Partnership with Lancaster University The ‘Make’ programme enabled delivery of the Lancaster Youth Challenge, Redbananallama events for young people with learning disabilities, and the creation of a film with community members celebrating Gypsy and Roma culture and heritage. The partnership also delivered a Cultural Passport for students and a joint Friends initiative for Lancaster University staff.

NEW AMBITIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS

JOURNEYING TOGETHERThe company has a particular commitment to reaching disadvantaged members of the community. A highlight of this work was the extension of the Journeying Together project with Age UK Lancashire while undertaking a major fundraising campaign to secure support for a pioneering 3-year arts programme, which started in September 2015, for people living with dementia.

From the Journeying Together report:

‘The responses from the people who have participated in the Journeying Together project provide a powerful testimony to the role of cinema and the arts in enriching the lives of people with dementia and their family members, along with compelling evidence of the need to continue and develop this work in the future.’

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Light Up Lancaster, Darren Andrews (October 2014)

INVESTMENT PARTNERSThe Dukes worked with its four main investment partners who, despite a challenging funding environment, maintained their long-term support of the company. Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council, the Esméé Fairbairn Foundation and Arts Council England provided core revenue grants totalling £576,205 during the year (34% of total income).

This investment underpinned all of our activities across the year.

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Cinderella (November 2014 - January 2015)

“The Dukes has nailed it once again with this year’s Christmas show, putting its own unique stamp on a classic story.”

Lancaster Guardian on Cinderella (November 2014 - January 2015)

ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIPS AND SPONSORSInvestment from all our funding partners is vital and we are grateful for the support we received from The Garrick Charitable Trust, The Clothworkers Foundation, Elspeth J Thomspon Charitable Trust and The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. We worked particularly closely with the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, who supported us with the first year of a three year grant to support all of the company’s activities.

With Lancaster University we continued to develop our exciting Cultural Partnership which is an affirmation of how highly both Lancaster University and The Dukes value the importance of cultural life in the city. The Cultural Partnership invests in and develops arts, education and learning in Lancaster and promotes Lancaster as a great place to live, work, play, visit and study.

We value the strong working relationships we have with our corporate supporters, many of whom are now long-standing advocates for our work as well as investors. In the past 12 months, our corporate support was boosted by the continued generosity of Mackies Interior Design, Black Bear Computers, The Ashton, CLB Coopers, St Nicholas Arcades, MarketGate, Lancaster House Hotel and we welcomed additional support from Pizza Margherita.

We were also grateful to Joseph A. Jones & Co. Solicitors who generously supported the Dukes Park show and continued their involvement by supporting the important development of screenings for people living with dementia while we were working with a range of Trusts & Foundations on a three year funding programme for the project.

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Homeless Action, Ebenezer Dealer (December 2014).

FINANCE

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In 2014-15 total income from ticket sales was down by 8% due to a reduction in the number of theatre events over the year as a whole. Even with this small reduction in events, there was positive financial growth in a number of areas, in particular:

Bar and catering income rose by £4K on the previous year

Fundraising income increased by 44%

Core Grants £851,411 Tickets £484,695

Total Revenue 2014/15 £1,693,861Total Revenue 2006/7 £1,460,500

We are particularly thankful to our Guardians - Siân Johnson, Carolyn Reynolds, Carole Webb, Robert Webb and Peter Whalley – and to our growing number of Patrons and Friends for their invaluable financial support

Bar/Refreshments £86,007 Creative Learning £12,127

Fundraising & Other £26,359

Core Grants £576,205 Tickets £649,703

Bar/Refreshments £155,230 Creative Learning £105,930

Fundraising & Other £205,793

OUR AUDIENCESIn 2014-15 The Audience Agency carried out visitor mapping and profiling of The Dukes audience. Their headline findings include:

This map shows a count, by postcode sector, of the 2014/15 respondents who gave a full and valid postcode, that appear within that sector.

Vistors to The Dukes have travelled from all over the UK, with bookers coming from London and the South West, as well as Glasgow and Edinburgh

The catchment area for The Dukes (where 80% of our audiences live) is a 60 minute drive-time around the venue, reaching Lancashire, Cumbria and Greater Manchester

25% of our audience attended with children during 2014-25

79% of our audiences heard about the Dukes through digital marketing (the website, social media channels, externally linked websites)

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This map shows a count, by postcode sector, of the 2014 /15 respondents that gave a full and valid postcode, that appear within that sector. Supplied by the Audience Agency

OUR PEOPLECore staff at the end of the year were:

Executive Director* Ivan Wadeson

Artistic Director* Joe Sumsion

Finance Manager* Pat Russell

Finance Assistant Elaine Cooper

Theatre Secretary* Jacqui Wilson

Production Manager* Phil Clarke

Chief Technician* Brent Lees

Deputy Chief Technician* John Maudsley

Marketing Manager* Helen Bartosinski

Press & Marketing Office Louise Bryning

Marketing & Development Officer* Danielle Fearnley

Marketing Assistant Jack Heaton

Film & Live Events Programme Manager* Johnathan Ilott

Creative Learning Director* Celine Wyatt

Associate Director Louie Ingham

Creative Learning Officer Vicki Ciaputa

Youth Theatre Leaders Jilly Sumsion, Steve Graham, Lee Affen, ShonaThompson, Helen Gould, Jon Randall, Angela Diggle

Business Development Manager George Harris

Box Office Manager* Karen Chandisingh

Box Office Staff Peter Button, Tom Wilkinson, Ruth Davidson, Olivia Gell

Front of House Manager* Jane Twyman

Deputy Front of House Manager* Simon Nixon

Duty Managers Elaine Chapman, Olivia Gell, Christopher World

Bar Staff Rowan Brook-Thompson, Matt Donovan, Ric Smithson Shona Thompson, Mia Wilson

Housekeepers Kelly Clarke, Janet Needham

* Denotes full-time

Others working with The Dukes during 2014-15 (some freelance artists/practitioners) included:

Laura Atherton, Shelley Atkinson, Jessica Baglow, Adam Barlow, Peter Brooks, Kieran Buckeridge, Gareth Cassidy, Josie Cerise, Kate Copeland, Ian Daly, Carol Donaldson, Katie Duxbury, Katy Errington, Katy Farrish, Rachael Garnett, Helen Gould, Guy Hargreaves, Alison Heffernan, Joe Hares, Rory Howson, Joshua Johnson, Ian Kershaw, Alex Lapinski, Polly Lister, Morven Macbeth, Charlotte Mckinney, Joshua Miles, Jade Monk McGowan, Jeremy Peyton-Jones, Matt Prendergast, Ann Preston, John Preston, Andrew Quick, John Robinson, Marco Rossi, Georgina Solo, Ella Vale, Emily Varnam, Andrew Vincent, Simon Wainwright, Zosia Wand, Andy Wear, Rob Williamson.

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OUR BOARD

THANK YOUOur work is only made possible through the support we receive from many people and organisations – so we would like to thank:

Arts Council England, Lancashire County Council, Lancaster City Council, Lancaster University, The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The Granada Foundation, The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, The Garrick Charitable Trust, The Thistle Trust, Film Audience Network, Film Hub North West Central, The Clothworkers Foundation, Elspeth J Thomspon Charitable Trust, Mackies Interior Design, Joseph A. Jones & Co. Solicitors, St Nicholas Arcades, Black Bear Computers, CLB Coopers, The Ashton, Age UK Lancashire, The Borough, Lancaster House Hotel, Market Gate Shopping & Pizza Margherita.

Individual Supporters

We would also like to thank our growing numbers of Friends, Patrons, Guardians and Volunteers without whom our work would simply not be possible. The number of Dukes Friends grew from 597 to 925 and our great team of volunteers ensured that we were able to present an average of 85 events per month. As well as their Front of House support, volunteers also provided invaluable assistance to our Marketing Department with mailing and leaflet distribution across the county.

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Trustees serving 2014/15 were:

Cllr June Ashworth (until March 2015) Youth Representatives to the Board:

Cllr Eileen Blamire Liz Fox

Cllr Melanie Forrest Polly Wain

Cllr Paul Gardner

Co Cllr Susie Charles Advisors to the Board:

Co Cllr Chris Henig Nigel Kirkup

Co Cllr Niki Penney Marc Mallam

Co Cllr John Shedwick Mike Fisher

Nick Brooks-Sykes (from March 2015) Sadie Williams

Julie Gardner

Richard Hall (Treasurer) until July 2014 Development Board Members

Alan Hatton-Yeo (Treasurer) from July 2014 James Mackie

Anna Izza (until September 2014) Carole Webb

Siân Johnson (Chair) Gary Rycroft

Caroline Newns (until September 2014) Nigel Kirkup

Carolyn Reynolds Carolyn Reynolds

Elaine Roberts

Gary Rycroft (Vice-Chair)

2014/15 FACTFILE

213 Live Performances

557 Screenings

18,620 Art exhibition attendances

21,572 Young people’s participations

32,282 Cinema attendances

56,076 Attendances for live performance and events

215,748 Website visits

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The Dukes Playhouse Charity Number: 501935. Company Registration Number: 1077517 Executive Director: Ivan Wadeson. Aristic Director: Joe Sumsion. Registered Office: The Dukes, Moor Lane, Lancaster LA1 1QE. Admin Telephone Number: 01524 598505. Box Office Telephone Number: 01524 598500. Fax: 01524 598519. Email: info@dukes-lancaster.org. Website: www.dukes-lancaster.org. Bank: NatWest, 68 Church Street, Lancaster LA1 1LN. Auditors: CLB Coopers, Fleet House, New Road, Lancaster LA1 1E

THIS PUBLICATION IS AVAILABLE IN LARGE PRINT BY REQUEST

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Cinderella (November 2014 - January 2015)

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“I am delighted and thrilled to be an Honorary Patron of The Dukes. It’s an exciting role

and I hope to help in any way I can to make sure The Dukes remains a beacon of creative

excellence in Lancashire”Sarah Lancashire, May 2014