| More about the DukesThe Dukes is Lancashire's professional producing theatre. We produce our own plays to standards we can guarantee.The Dukes' drama productions include classics and new plays performed in two auditoria, plus Summertime theatre - an unmissable outdoor experience. Dukes Cinema is one of the most successful independent screens in the country, offering a huge range of mainstream and non-mainstream programming, with Dolby Digital surround sound. Other events include a selection of touring drama, music, literature, art exhibitions. Plus there's a relaxing bar. On this page you can find out more about what happens to make it happen! We hope you will also visit us soon in person. Staffing the DukesWe are currently seeking experienced tradespersons for painting, tiling, joinery and site clearance from 1 Mar - 31 May. For more information please contact Production manager, John Newman-Holden on 01524 598503. With so many seasonal workers, the size of the Dukes company fluctuates widely, but at its peak employs over seventy full or part-time workers, including the acting company. DIRECTOR Joe Sumsion 
Joe is in overall charge of the Dukes' policy planning, business operations and
artistic programme. Email: jsumsion@dukes-lancaster.org
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT Outside the core administrative functions, the specialist areas of the
operation are overseen by designated departmental managers who report either to
the Director. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT Education Director: Rob Salmon Marketing Manager: Jan Shorrock Marketing/Press Officer: Maria Major BOX OFFICE DEPARTMENT June Ashworth Chris Batten Cllr Eileen Blamire Cllr Jane Fletcher Richard Hooper Sian Johnson Jean Laurie Chris Mellor Co Cllr Niki Penny Ron Sands Co Cllr John Shedwick Cllr Malcolm Thomas Chris Trueman Co Cllr Alan Whittaker Co Cllr Jean Yates
Funding and FinanceThe Dukes has three main sources of income apart from that generated from ticket sales. These are: Arts Council of England, Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council.Additional income is also generated from the sponsorship of events by business. Sponsorship is not a guaranteed source of income. The Dukes also generates some income from a range of commercial activities including corporate entertainment packages. The Production ProcessPRE-PRODUCTION The decision about which play or plays are to be presented is usually made more than six months in advance of the scheduled performances. The choice of production is made by the artistic director, though it is not solely governed by artistic considerations. The performance history of the plays at the Dukes provides strong evidence for what kind of plays audiences want to see performed here, as does information from audience research and demographics. The cost of staging any production is always an important consideration. Some kinds of theatre such as large musicals, while undeniable a major attraction, are very expensive to stage and even playing to capacity house might not generate sufficient income. Dukes theatre one and stage area are relatively small so not only is it not sometimes impossible to make enough money it is sometimes impossible to stage shows which literally are too big for the stage. Once the choice has been made a number if different departments begin work in preparation for the production. On the production side, one of the earliest decisions will be the appointment of the creative team: normally the director, designer and lighting designer of the show. Usually, plays will be directed by the Dukes' own artistic director who is a permanent member of staff but on some occasions a guest director will be appointed for a single production only. The designer will also be appointed at this early stage with responsibility for set and sometimes costume design. The Dukes does not have a resident designer so this appointment is usually only for a single production. Once the key production personnel are known they will meet with the Dukes' production manager to decide important details of the production. Usually the director brings ideas about how the play will be staged to such meetings and such ideas will influence the way the production comes to life. For the designer, the task will be to create settings and costumes which correspond with the director's vision of the play. He or she normally creates an accurate 3-D model of the set, and sketches costume designs. The production manager will take the designer's ideas and plan how the technical departments will make them for the stage - always remembering that there is not a bottomless supply of money to do so. At this stage, the director may have already chosen the actors to appear in the play, but, if not, the director will interview selected actors from a shortlist proposed by theatrical agents. Although many locally and regionally-based actors appear at the Dukes, the Dukes chooses its actors from all available professional actors in the country, with interviews sometimes being held in London. While the production team are busy casting, designing and building for the production, the Dukes marketing department will be at work publicising the forthcoming play or season of plays. The main way in which plays are publicised is through printed material and by generating coverage in the press. Brochures and leaflets are mailed to members of The Dukes mailing list - a list of individuals who have either been to an event here before or have asked to be sent information. This is a computerised list that can be sub-divided by postcode area or interest category, enabling potentially-interested patrons to be identified. Copies of printed material are also distributed to various outlets (arts venues, tourist information centres, libraries, etc) throughout the North-West. THE REHEARSAL PERIOD Rehearsals for a play begin about four weeks before the public sees the production. It is a period of intense activity by all company members. Actors will begin working with the production's director in a rehearsal space at the Dukes or nearby - rehearsals will not normally be able to take place on the stage until the week the production opens. Other individuals may also assist the actors in the performance they create. In a musical for example the actors will work with a musical director who will take the actors through the songs they have to sing, and a choreographer who will devise the dance routines in the show. But the rehearsal period is not just a time when actors learn and practice what they are going to do - it is also a period of experimentation when ideas are tried out and even discovered. For actors the rehearsal period represents a time when they can bring their own creativity to bear on the play, always remembering that the final product is the fitting together of many individuals' creative endeavours under the overall vision of the director. Quite early in the process the director will block the show, deciding where on the stage the actors will stand. Actors will also be busy learning the lines they have to say - this usually takes place in a time when an actor is not busy rehearsing with other members of the company. The director decides which actors are called for each rehearsal session, and the stage manager, who is in day-to-day charge of the backstage team, issues a daily call sheet. While the actors are busy working on creating the characters for the play, other members of the company will also be busy:- Sets for almost all main productions at the Dukes are manufactured in workshops near to the theatre. Working from the designs provided by the designer and to budgets set by the production manager a team design technicians will manufacture the various physical locations of the play. The stage management team is comprised of a number of different individuals with different tasks to perform during the production process, headed by the Stage Manager. A deputy stage manager (DSM) will be designated as "on the book". This person will be in the rehearsals with the director and acting company, preparing a copy of the script marked with vital information about the production: blocking details will be marked on the script, and later all cues will be marked in the appropriate place. Other members of the stage management team will be busy collecting and constructing props. As with set construction, the wardrobe department will be busy creating the costumes from the designs (costume sketches) they have been given by the production designer. Actors will have special calls in which they will be measured and fitted with costumes. The way a production sounds and is lit are key elements in the creative process. Productions will usually have a designated a sound and/or lighting designer and it is the task of the technical crew to install the correct equipment to achieve the specified designs. The technical crew are faced with solving the problems posed by a specific design with the technical resources they have available. The weeks prior to the opening of a production are one where the attention being lavished on the show by various members of the company is hopefully equalled by the interest of members of the public. Maximising public interest in the production is the job of the staff in the marketing department. Many people will already have received information about the production through printed material distributed by the department. During the weeks that remain before the production opens the Dukes' press officer will be trying to secure coverage in the media for the production. Stories about various aspects of the production will appear in print and the broadcast media all geared to keeping the production in the spotlight. Advertisements will also appear in local, regional and national publications. PRODUCTION WEEK AND FIRST NIGHT Production week is the period of most intense activity, as production staff work round the clock to fit up the set and rig the lighting, while the acting company receive their costumes and are finally able to rehearse onstage. Normally, the previous show's set will begin to be struck as soon as the final performance - usually on a Saturday night - has ended, and the new set, ready constructed and precision built - will be fitted up through the weekend and into the opening week, while electricians re-rig the lights. The early days of the week is the time for plotting lighting and special effects, culminating in at least one technical rehearsal where actors take their positions while lighting and sound cues are perfected around them. There are usually two dress rehearsals prior to the preview performance - the first performance in which paying customers (at a reduced rate) see the show. There will normally then be another dress rehearsal prior to the first full performance - the show's first night or press night, by which time everything has to be ready! Virtual TourLook behind the scenes of Lancashire's producing theatre!In person tours are free for schools. For groups of 10 or more people there is a charge of £25, fully refundable against the cost of your next outing. Individual customers - watch out for details of the next Dukes Open Day!
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