We’ve had a wonderful year of sharing stories with you all and are incredibly thankful for every single person who has chosen to spend time with us throughout 2024. Whether you enjoyed our Park Show, were whisked away by our Cinema programme, or felt warm and cosy while watching our Christmas Show, we’re grateful for all 68,138 of you.

In total, this year we have hosted 270 live performances, exhibiting a diverse range of work from local artists, national theatre companies, and our home-grown productions. It’s been a joy to have such an exciting offering available. Our top five most-attended shows this year were:

1. The Borrowers (Christmas Show)
2. Alice in Wonderland (Park Show)
3. Pitch Perfect by John Godber
4. Nish Kumar: Nish, Don’t Kill My Vibe
5. Frankenstein by imitating the dog

Our Cinema programme saw 1,074 screenings attended by 32,567 of you! You’ve enjoyed a wide spectrum of genres throughout 2024, including Stage on Screen, Mystery Films, Exhibition on Screen, and inspiring Documentaries. Here are the top five films you all adored this year:

1. The Boy & The Heron
2. National Theatre: Prima Facie
3. Paddington in Peru
4. National Theatre: Nye
5. One Life

This October saw our third annual horror festival, Dark Dukes, and it was the biggest yet, with 1,221 of you spending a whole week on the edge of your seat while experiencing a carefully curated season of horror. This year’s programme included live events from Adam Robinson with Unhomely and Neil Brand performing in the Priory. Our Cinema programme celebrated the 20th anniversary of the comedy-horror Shaun of the Dead with a special panel hosted by The Evolution of Horror Podcast. They discussed how challenging it is to merge comedy and horror, but Shaun of the Dead broke the mould and created an iconic piece of cinema.

Our Front of House has undergone an exciting transformation this year! We have teamed up with another local business, Stonewell Spring Deli, to start stocking their sandwiches in our bar, alongside the delicious cakes baked by Talk About Tasty, all washed down with fresh coffee brewed from Atkinson’s coffee beans. In recent weeks, we’ve even added a fresh coat of paint, and we plan to continue renovations in the coming months.Thank you to everyone who chose to visit The Dukes this year. Every single one of you belongs here. We hope 2025 brings just as much excitement and creativity as we work hard to deliver a unique Spring/Summer season and continue to nurture local talent.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,

The Dukes Team