Shôn Dale-Jones Presents ME & ROBIN HOOD and the return of The Duke

Following the success of 2016 Fringe First award winning The Duke, Hoipolloi's Shôn Dale-Jones returns to Edinburgh with the second in a series of solo shows as he celebrates the 20th anniversary of his Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut. ME & ROBIN HOOD examines the inequality that exists in society through Shôn's relationship with his best fictional friend (and truly legendary hero), the Prince of Thieves himself.

Shôn Dale-Jones first encountered Robin Hood as a seven-year-old boy in November 1975 through the BBC mini-series The Legend of Robin Hood. Forty years on, Shôn and Robin look again at a modern world that continues to separate the rich from the poor, leaving only extreme options open to those who want to level the playing field. Through the eyes of the now adult Shôn and his ageless childhood friend, ME & ROBIN HOOD asks us to reflect on the opportunities life has offered us, to question what society truly values and encourage us to challenge and change the story of money.

As with The Duke, which captured the public's imagination with a combination of theatre and fundraising, ME & ROBIN HOOD will employ a unique ticketing system that encourages audiences to donate to charity. This year, audiences will buy a ticket for £5 and be asked to bring cash to the show. ME & ROBIN HOOD is supporting Street Child United World Cup 2018, a charity which uses the power of sport to change the way the world sees and treats street connected children, raising visibility and giving a platform for their voices to be heard and for their lives to be changed. Last year, Hoipolloi collected over £36,500 for the Save the Children Child Refugee Fund from audience donations via their Edinburgh show The Duke, which has toured extensively and will return to the Fringe this year.

Commenting on the project Shôn says: "ME & ROBIN HOOD is my response to how the growing gap between the rich and the poor is effecting the way the world is being shaped. It's my attempt to encourage us to imagine the lives of those living without the opportunities 'we' have - 'we', the liberal-minded, well-educated theatre-going public. The show playfully challenges our relationship with the banks and flirts with romantic idea of becoming a radical revolutionary that can change the world. It gives audiences the chance to offer an opportunity to a child living on the streets to go to Street Child United's 2018 World Cup and start to change their life."

Shôn Dale-Jones is the man behind Edinburgh's favourite Welsh character Hugh Hughes and the winner of two Fringe Firsts, for Story of A Rabbit (2007) & for The Duke (2016). Hoipolloi was established in 1993 by Shôn Dale-Jones and Stefanie Mueller to make work that is funny, imaginative and touching, connecting with audiences all over the world on various platforms. The company's work reaches out beyond the stage, and engages audiences directly through a mixture of live performance and online digital content. Based in Cambridge, Hoipolloi has produced over 20 new theatre shows, including all of Shôn Dale-Jones' alter-ego Hugh Hughes' award-winning work, a film (HOW DID I GET HERE) and a range of online content. In September 2011, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a new adaptation of Hugh Hughes' Floating, which won Best Scripted Comedy Drama at the BBC Audio Drama Awards. Hoipolloi has toured extensively around the UK and across the world including Australia, Singapore, Colombia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, France, Belgium, Holland, Finland, Russia, Ireland, Canada and the USA.

Hamish Pirie, Associate Director of The Royal Court Theatre says: "Shôn is talking the talk but also walking the walk. He gives his ticket money to the causes looked at in his shows. He takes his work home with him. Shôn is a pure version of the writer as literal story teller. Asking questions of his own purpose while telling that yarn. It felt important to represent his craft on our stage."

Alongside ME & ROBIN HOOD, The Duke will also be performed 5th - 27th (not 15th & 22nd) Aug at Pleasance Courtyard. The Duke received The Scotsman's Fringe First Award in Edinburgh in 2016 and was produced in aid of the Save the Children's Child Refugee Crisis Appeal. This year, audiences will be asked to buy a ticket for £5 and bring cash to the show to support Save the Children's Rescue at Sea Appeal, supporting refugees as they face dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean.

As well as the two solo shows, Hoipolloi and PBJ Management will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hoipolloi at the Fringe with Feast of the Fest. Taking place acRoss One day (Tuesday 22nd August) Shôn and friends will take over the Roundabout at Paines Plough's venue at Summerhall to create an epic fundraising event to celebrate generosity and the power of art. The day will feature performers and companies from across the festival with the full line up to be announced in July/August. Entrance is free with audience donations going to Save The Children's Rescue at Sea Appeal.

@hellohoipolloi | #IAMROBINHOOD | www.hoipolloi.org.uk

Running Time: 60 minutes | Suitable for ages 12 years plus

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