Fine Chisel's DUMBSTRUCK Comes to the Marlowe Studio, June 3-4

An award-winning musical drama is coming to The Marlowe Studio next month.

Fine Chisel hit the road with their Fringe First and MTN Award-winning play Dumbstruck, the story of the loneliest whale in the world. Armed with a stage full of instruments and a box of chalk, the actor-musicians conjure the rush of waves, the buzz of a 1960s pirate radio station, and the far-from-dry world of marine mammal bioacoustics.

Dumbstruck follows the life of Ted Tomkins, a brilliant scientist alone on an Alaskan island. Ted is a communications expert specialising in whale song. One day he notices a call unlike any he's heard before... So begins his fascination with the (true) story of the loneliest whale in the world.

As these remarkable events unfold, we are transported back through Ted's memories: to a pirate radio station in the 1960s and, back further, to his unique childhood. The more we learn about Ted's life, the more we understand his desperate need to communicate with this extraordinary whale.

Tom Spencer, Director of Fine Chisel and performer, said: "We can't wait to share this story with new audiences. Dumbstruck is a joy to perform: foot-stomping rock n' roll tunes one minute, a lecture about underwater communication the next".

Fine Chisel was founded in 2010 by Tom Spencer. The company is based in Bristol, but is fast establishing a reputation as a vibrant new presence on the touring circuit - both as theatre-makers and as a folk n' roll band. Dumbstruck builds upon the success of Firing Blanks ("pitch perfect" - Evening Standard), Midnight At The Boar's Head ("genuinely outstanding" - ThreeWeeks), and most recently Icarus, a large-scale community folk opera made with York Theatre Royal.

After a critically-acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year, Dumbstruck will tour to theatres across the UK and Ireland, including Battersea Arts Centre, The Bike Shed Theatre Exeter, Tobacco Factory Theatres Bristol and Cork Opera House.

David Jubb, Artistic Director of Battersea Arts Centre, said: "Dumbstruck was one of the best things I saw in Edinburgh this year, and proved that this young company is one to watch. Dumbstruck demonstrates Fine Chisel's fresh approach to storytelling, exceptional musicianship and skill at playfully building and shifting their relationship with an audience".

Dumbstruck comes to The Marlowe Studio at 8pm on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 June. To book tickets, which cost £12 (concessions available; booking fees apply), call the Box Office on 01227 787787 or visit marlowetheatre.com.