 Ed-2-2-038 |  LSP-FINALS-089 |  _CF12481-Edit |
|---|---|---|
 Raj Swamy as Guildenstern. Production Photo by Charles Flint. |  JC |  Mikko Juan as part of The Patients. Production photograhy by Charles Flint |
 Othello_Tina_Engstrom_1 |  Caucasian Chalk Circle 2017 |  Leinxe Lee as Ophelia. (O woe is me) Production Photo by Charles Flint. |
 rt-bjs-2015-092 |  MSND-LAZ-060 |  MSND-LAZ-053 |
 LAZ-TEMPEST-027 |  Henrietta Rhodes as Diaphanta and the Company of The Changeling |  Coriolanus 2014 |
 Henry V 2015 |  Lord of the Flies 2019 |  A Midsummer Night's Dream 2018 |
 Salome 2021 |  Doctor Faustus 2022 |  Hamlet 2023 |
Ricky Dukes
Director, Practitioner, Teacher & Artistic Director
Ricky is an award winning (Fringe Report 'Best Artistic Director'), neurodiverse, working class theatre director from Sedgley, Dudley in the West Midlands.
Making Shakespeare Accessible: YP Artistic Collaborators is a truly unique project. It takes my passion and commitment for working with working class YP to the next level.
To work alongside these 15 Young People from Dormston School will be an inspiration, honour and bloody exciting time.
Horrendous school photograph of Ricky aged 14 at a student at Dormston School
★★★★
“Bold and innovative… A striking vision meets some of the most visceral storytelling you’re likely to see”
West End Best Friend on The Changeling
★★★★★
“A 90-minute powerhouse of a classic text in a modernised coat that captivated throughout every moment of the play.”
Lost in Theatreland on Hamlet
★★★★★
“This is the show to see... Visually striking… Dynamic production”
Spy in the Stalls on Dr Faustus
'The Macbeths' local Sedgley, Dudley & West Midlands heritage images of inspiration
'The Macbeths' production images of inspiration
The Macbeths example script
Examples: Start and midway through new play, integrating Shakespeare's text with modern day slang, movement & audio
Partners
Clockwise: Dormston School, Sorcha Corcoran, Lazarus Theatre Company, Sarah Dustagheer, Sam Glossop
"What a fantastic opportunity for our young people, particularly that former pupil Ricky is returning to his Secondary school to pass on so much of his experience, it's going to be fantastically inspirational for them"
Mrs Elliott, Deputy Head, Dormston School
Making Shakespeare Accessible
Since 2020 Ricky has made it his mission to explore and interrogate different storytelling methods to engage community's, particularly Young People with Shakespeare.
If we can crack the barriers between our National Playwright and underserved / underrepresented communities, we can open up the whole of the early modern literature cannon and engage all with our rich, diverse and exciting cultural heritage.
Since 2020 Ricky has explored the XR Tech, Digital Tech, use of Puppetry & Dance / Movement potential of removing barriers, his findings feeding into his own creative practice, Lazarus Theatre Company productions on stage and his collaborators and wider networks creative field.
Past ACE Funded Projects Making Shakespeare Accessible projects
Young Audiences via Puppetry
Exploring the artistic and accessibility potential of using visual storytelling methods i.e. puppetry to engage younger audiences (aged 6+) with their very first experience of Shakespeare.
Puppetry will be used to physicalise the characters of the Fairies: Peaseblossom, Moth, Cobweb, and Mustardseed from practical text: Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Findings from this project will be directly transferred into future full scale production in summer 2025.
Young People via Dance
Exploring different styles of dance, movement and physical theatre to breakdown barriers by creating a physical & visual language.
Diverse styles such as hip-hop, ballet, contemporary & jazz.
Using practical text from Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet.
Young People via Tech
An exploration into how digital tech, particularly live camera, monitors & projection can enhance audience / performer relationship.
Using practical text from Marlowe's Doctor Faustus and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
