Duck

It’s the summer of 2005, and Ismail – ‘Smiley’ to his schoolmates – is about to become the youngest-ever member of his elite public school’s First XI cricket team. A star player full of ambition and talent, he sets his sights on immortality – breaking the school batting record and getting his name into Wisden. But at the start of the season, new coach Mr. Eagles takes a particular dislike to him, for reasons Ismail can’t quite put his finger on. Desperate to prove himself, he runs into a patch of poor form at just the wrong time. Bad luck on the pitch leads to issues off it too, and Ismail finds that no one – friends, family, teammates – seems to get what he’s going through.

Set during England’s famous Ashes victory and the events of 7/7, Ismail discovers that cricket might not be able to take care of everything as it once did.

Important Information

Age recommendation: 12+

Content warnings: racial slurs, swearing, bullying, police violence, Islamophobia. The show makes reference to the 7/7 terrorist attacks in London, and features a scene set in a holding cell at a police station.

Age Restrictions

12+ 

Performance Times

Now taking bookings for performances up until Sat 15th July 2023.

Show times for each day are below.

Arcola Theatre - Studio 2 Details

Arcola Theatre - Studio 2 Location

Please note: The location shown on the map is an approximate location of the theatre. In the majority of cases the theatre will be marked on the map so please make sure you locate the exact location yourself. If the theatre is not shown on the map please make sure you locate the correct road name and take account of the directions.