Shon Dale Jones has both created and performs in The Duke + Me & Robin Hood, a one man play that questions the value of art and the power of story. Abbie asked Dale-Jones about the creative process in putting this piece together, the way he juggles wearing multiple hats within the production and what it is like to perform in a one person show. Read more below:
Creator and Performer Shon Dale Jones
Your show is semi-autobiographical. How did you decide what to share and what to take out? My shows are usually a fusion of fact and fiction. Ultimately I want to write a good story and so I make choices that enable the best and most dramatic narrative to emerge. What is the underlying theme to your show and what do you think the audience will take away from it? THE DUKE is about what we prioritise - it’s about evaluating our value system. ME & ROBIN HOOD is about the opportunities we have and our willingness to share our privilege in a world in which the gap between the rich and the poor is widening. Audiences of THE DUKE tell me they take away a keen desire to phone their mothers! ME & ROBIN HOOD provokes audiences to consider how they connect to people who aren’t living lives that are as comfortable as their own. How do you juggle so many roles, creating and performing in your own piece? I’ve been writing & performing my own shows for years now, since 2005. I have really great friends to help me. I am super-lucky to have fantastic collaborators that support the making process. What's the most challenging aspect of performing a one-person show? I love doing this. I guess the challenge is around letting each show come to life on stage each night. Keeping things fresh. Making sure I’m telling the story to every audience that comes to see the show. RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS: Favourite production you have ever seen? Dressed by ThisEgg You’re getting on a plane tomorrow and you can go anywhere in the world, where do you go? Japan. I’m so enthralled by what I see on film and in literature - I want to see it with my own eyes. Dream show/role to perform? I’ve always made my own work! When I was a student I played the Anarchist in Death of An Anarchist by Dario Fo. I wouldn’t mind having another go at that! Plays or musicals? Plays What’s next for you after this show? I’m in the middle of writing a new show, THE LADDER. Its about trying to be optimistic in pessimistic times. I’m also adapting ME & ROBIN HOOD for BBC Radio. The Duke + Me & Robin Hood plays at the Brisbane Powerhouse. For more information and tickets, click here