Shôn Dale-Jones is set to perform his Fringe First Award-winning show, The Duke, at Theatre @41 Monkgate.
The Duke, along with another of Mr Dale-Jones’s shows, Me & Robin Hood, which is about inequality, privilege, and poverty, has raised more than £100,000 for children’s charities.
The show was originally created in 2016 in response to the refugee crisis resulting from the Syrian conflict.
Last year, it was rewritten and revived to address the worsening refugee crisis following conflicts and disasters worldwide.
Mr Dale-Jones’s one-man show explores themes of kindness, generosity, and the value of our actions.
It intertwines the tragi-comic fate of a family heirloom – a porcelain figure of the Duke of Wellington, the moral dilemma of a scriptwriter, and the disaster faced by children fleeing their homes.
The writer and performer said: “Every show I make is made for a particular reason.
“I made The Duke in 2016 because I wanted to find a way of doing something practical about the refugee crisis.
“I couldn’t watch more images of the terrifying reality that these people are suffering without contributing towards the relief effort.
“I’m not a doctor or an engineer – I’m a writer/performer, and so I decided I could write a show which connects us to the crisis and raise money to support Save The Children’s refugee and crisis work.
“Now, in 2025, I’ve returned to The Duke because the refugee crisis has become more extreme and heavily politicised.
“It feels more important than ever to remind each other that we are talking about people.
“People like us.
“It might be complicated to find solutions to the crisis but it’s straightforward to practice empathy for innocent people whose lives are being torn apart.”
In the UK, it has been staged in London theatres such as the Royal Court, the Barbican, and Soho Theatre.
The show has also been made into a radio play for BBC Radio 4.
As the revised show tours throughout England and Wales, it continues to invite audiences to donate to charity after each performance.
Mr Dale-Jones added: “We feel passionately about what the show is aiming to achieve – to make audiences wonder about the value of art at a time when the world is in turmoil and to reach out and empathise with the refugee crisis.
“The show is a vehicle for raising money and awareness – it’s a conduit to an urgent and immediate need and we hope our audiences join us in empathising and raising money to support this cause.”
The Duke will be performed at Theatre @41 Monkgate on Thursday, March 20, with performances starting at 7.30pm.
Tickets are available online.
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