Big House

The Duke was back in town on November 6th for another show at The Norfolk Arms Hotel

The entire cast simultaneously search for a missing contact lens...

Well that was a LOT of fun, was it not! Many thanks to everyone who came along over the 4 nights, a brilliant reaction every time. Many thanks to the band, the narrators and the support team. Everyone played their…

It's been 3 months in the making, a lot of work and a lot of fun. Last night was the final rehearsal, all running super smooth. We're ready for show time. Bring it on!

Great work everyone, can't thank you…

We're very excited, fully rehearsed and can't wait for the first performance this Tuesday at South Stoke Barn.

Duke Ellington's manager between 1926 and 1939, a pivotal figure in bringing the music of Ellington to the world and establishing him as America's foremost composer of the twentieth century. One of the two narrators in the Ellington production, Mills…

The show features re-interpretations of some of Ellington's best known compositions. Here's a clip from rehearsals of Satin Doll re-interpreted as a ballad.

One of the narrators, Ruth Ellington (in character), enjoying a cup of tea during rehearsals. Ruth was Duke's sister and she'll be giving a reflective narrative, giving us some insight into how Duke saw things as they unfolded.

Sales and marketing manager, Clare, busy promoting Ellington at Arundel Farmers Market. Note she has a ready supply of Smock Alley English Sparkling Wine to hand in order to help her through the day :-)

Here's a tantalising clip from a rehearsal session. This is the end of "Things Ain't What They Used To Be", dropping in on the end of the bass solo and leading out with the final head. Trombonist missing in action…

Some of the books I'm using to research the narrative for the show. Spot the rogue title :-)