The Dukes in Lancaster has launched its first crowdfunding campaign to produce a new play by a Coronation Street scriptwriter.
Lancashire’s only professional building-based theatre is planning to stage The Ockerbys On Ice this autumn.
The play, which follows what happens when a man wins a shot at immortality—by being the first ever person on British soil to be cryogenically frozen—has been written by Debbie Oates, also the writer behind The Dukes recent adaptations of Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol and Treasure Island.
The Ockerbys On Ice is a play exploring how far someone would go to be with the one they love. It will tuck into questions of immortality, cryogenics, human identity and the issues faced by a couple having to make a life/death decision.
Dukes Artistic Director Joe Sumsion said: “the funding landscape is changing and this campaign simply reflects our proactive determination to continue to develop and deliver new work.”
The Dukes, which is a registered charity, has already raised £15,000 towards its production target of £25,000 and has now launched a month-long crowdfunding campaign online.