Stunning the Punters (& Other Stories)
by George Dillontheatre
Three stories of imagination run wild by Berkoff, Sproat & Dostoevsky.
about the production
An out-of-work actor's frustrations explode over breakfast, an ex-skinhead recalls an exuberant racist graffiti spree with a ghostly twist and a would-be suicide sees a lost paradise and returns with a timeless message of hope for our uncaring world... 26 years ago audiences and critics rushed to witness a young actor’s stunning solo debut. One man on a bare stage gives a bravura high-energy performance in three tales of imagination run wild: Master of Café Society by Steven Berkoff; Stunning the Punters by Robert Sproat and Dillon’s own adaptation of The Dream of a Ridiculous Man by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
about the artist
George Dillon has been touring to small scale (and more recently middle-scale) venues since 1983, and touring solo shows since 1990. His seven solo shows have all been critically acclaimed in Edinburgh and on tour in the UK and internationally: Stunning the Punters & Other Stories (1990 to date), Judgement (1990-1992), Say a Prayer for Me & Hell (1992), The Remembrance of Edgar Allan Poe (1993-1997), Graft - Tales of an Actor (2000 to date), The Gospel of Matthew (2002 to date), The Man Who Was Hamlet (2008 to date).
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stage dimensions
width: 4 metres
height: 3 metres
depth: 4 metres
Stunning the Punters has no set, few props and needs a bare stage, and a basic studio lighting rig and PA. George travels alone by public transport (from Brighton) and carries all he needs. Naked flames (seven night light candles) have been approved in over 100 performances to date. Precise tech specs are currently (April 2016) being revised and will be available from George's website very soon: http://www.georgedillon.com/theatre/stunning_the_punters.shtml
Stunning the Punters appeals to anyone who likes good theatre. Having acted/directed 13 productions of Steven Berkoff's work (and being described by Berkoff as "the best example of someone to watch how to perform") the show has an obvious appeal to a student audience as well as fans of Dostoevsky.
George Dillon performs this trio of adapted short stories with electrifying verbal and physical precision. Stunning the Punters is a breathtakingly arrogant name to give to a show; it is also entirely accurate. (Nominated for The Independent Theatre Award)
Cynically suspecting a combination of egomania and cheap-skating, many critics tend to steer clear of the one-man shows which proliferate on the fringes of the Fringe. However, Stunning the Punters, performed by George Dillon, is a compelling piece of theatre: make haste to catch it.
It meant paying, but three days after seeing Stunning the Punters I went to see it again... his voice, whether bellowing, whispering or crooning, remains effortlessly powerful and his diction is razor-sharp; his mime is tight and economical; he even seems to shrink and grow at will. This is one-man theatre at its most intelligent and most powerful. Dillon has stunned punters and critics in Edinburgh and London, and is set to stun more when he takes his show on the road. Don't wait to be told about it, or to read another critical paean: go and see for yourself!
George has given over 200 workshops - "An introduction to Berkoff and Physical Theatre" - mostly with sixth formers studying Berkoff for A-level and is happy to offer workshps if his touring schedule allows. He is laways happy to give after-show talks, if not dashing for a train home.
The asking fee is £850 per night, (negotiable... with all offers above £500 usually accepted). Not VAT registered. Venue to provide technician and overprinting of printed publicity and accommodation for 1 if it's not possible to get back to Brighton by train after the performance.
