Winner of the Charlie Hartill Fund 2024, and from award-winning playwright maatin and Fringe First award-winning director Imy Wyatt Corner (Passing, Park Theatre; Beasts (or why girls shouldn’t fear the dark), Omnibus Theatre, Zoo Playground), Duck is a one-man show about a teenage cricket star’s search for his place in an environment that doesn’t cater for difference.
Fifteen-year-old Ismail dreams of becoming the best cricketer in his elite school’s history – but the start of the season brings bad luck and poor form, leading to challenges both on and off the pitch. Set in 2005, amid the backdrop of the famous Ashes series and the 7/7 London bombings, Duck follows Ismail coming to terms with what it means to be Brown and Muslim over one fateful summer.
maatin comments, I’m thrilled that the Pleasance has awarded Duck a recipient of the Charlie Hartill fund 2024, creating an incredible platform for new audiences to experience this story – one of a young brown Muslim schoolboy in a way rarely depicted – and showcasing the talents of our early-career creative team, who are predominantly from marginalised backgrounds. The play is inspired by my own experiences 20 years ago, but explores issues that remain ever-present and relevant – how racism infects our most polite and prestigious institutions, and a society that is structurally hostile in its treatment of Muslims.
Universally Duck explores the challenges of adolescence, the pressures of sporting competition and what it means to establish your own identity as a teenager.
The story by playwright maatin, about a young cricket fanatic of Indian heritage may be set in the celebrated Ashes summer of 2005, but it could not feel more topical. …his relatable teenage wrestle with identity and belonging is further complicated by both his race and religion, and even the cricket pitch ceases to be a refuge. But the most affecting moments remain the simplest and most mundane ones, such as when Ismail’s coach dismisses his complaints about the abuse he’s received. “I’m sure it’s just some playful banter,” he says – a line Azeem Rafiq, for one, has heard before (The Guardian).
