Ben Duke in Focus
This Autumn, something extraordinary is happening in Paris.
Théâtre de la Ville is presenting Ben Duke in Focus: four of his most toured works - bold reimaginings of classic stories, plus two new pieces created by Lost Dog collaborators, all in one extraordinary season.
From Shakespeare to Milton, from star-crossed lovers to fallen angels, Ben Duke shifts the lens on the stories we think we know; blending theatre and dance and his signature mix of dark humour and profound humanity
The season runs September–November 2026 at Théâtre de la Ville, Paris.
Four shows: The Last Hamlet, Juliet & Romeo, Paradise Lost, and Ruination: The True Story of Medea.
Two new works: Lyre Liar by Liam Francis and Offspring by Emily Terndrup; both artists who've worked with us and become creators in their own right.
This is a rare chance to experience the full scope of Ben’s vision in one place.
The Shows
The Last Hamlet | 22-30 September
They cancelled Hamlet. He showed up anyway.
What if this was the last Hamlet – literally – after which Shakespeare's play would never be performed again? This is the bold challenge taken up by Ben Duke and his company, Lost Dog. Hamlet bears a heavy responsibility for the ills of our time: he is depressed, violent and guilty of choosing procrastination over action. Having learned his drama has been cancelled, he is taking to the stage one last time. He’s worked up some new material and he's hoping to persuade us to let him stay. But in Lost Dog's hands, nothing is sacred. Shakespeare's most iconic character becomes the starting point for a darkly comic exploration of existence, love, revenge, and the stories we can't seem to escape - no matter how hard we try.
Juliet & Romeo | 24-28 October
With Lost Dog’s blend of dance, theatre, and comedy this duet reveals the real story of Romeo and Juliet. It turns out they didn’t die in a tragic misunderstanding, they grew up and lived happily ever after. Well, they lived at least.
Now they’re 40ish, at least one of them is in the grips of a mid-life crisis, they feel constantly mocked by their teenage selves and haunted by the pressures of being the poster couple for romantic love. They have decided to confront their current struggles by putting on a performance – about themselves. Their therapist told them it was a terrible idea.
This duet takes on our cultural obsession with youth and our inevitable issues with longevity.
Offspring (a modern Frankenstein) by Emily Terndrup | 30 October - 1 Nov
In this acclaimed visceral reimagining of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Emily Terndrup fuses explosive choreography and razor-sharp storytelling into a fierce, funny and fearless meditation on creation and consequence. Part gothic horror, part personal reckoning, Offspring is a pulse-racing collision of theatre and dance that grabs its audience by the throat and the heart. At its centre is a woman in her mid-to-late 30s, grappling with desire and dread as she contemplates the closing window to biological creation. Winner of three Dublin Fringe Festival Awards (2025), the show was named Outstanding Production & Best Dance Production of 2025 by The Arts Review. Riotously funny, breathtakingly physical and unexpectedly devastating, the performance becomes the monster itself: volatile, tender, contradictory, and profoundly human.
Bold, intelligent and utterly original, Offspring guarantees to spark questions long after the final breath.
Paradise Lost (lies unopened beside me) | 24-27 November
There is a possibility that God made everything because he was terrified of doing nothing.
Paradise Lost (lies unopened beside me) (2015) is a re-telling of the story of the beginning of everything inspired by Milton’s epic poem – told through words, music and the easily misunderstood medium of dance.
A show for anyone who has ever created anything (a child, a garden, a paper aeroplane) and then had to watch that wonderful thing spiral out of control.
Lyre Liar by Liam Francis | 14-15 November
Conceived and performed by Liam Francis, Lyre Liar traces the unlikely influences that shaped him in a performance that is part danced portrait, part autobiography and part playful lecture-demonstration. Blending virtuosic movement with humour, storytelling and theatricality, Lyre Liar explores what it means to search for yourself through the things you love, illuminating both the joy and the burden of becoming yourself through imitation.
Book tickets
Ruination: The True Story of Medea | 18-21 November
The story of Medea, the true story of Medea, not the one you think you know. Medea is on trial in the Underworld for alleged crimes against her family. The charges against her have been brought by her ex-husband and former hero, Jason. It seems unlikely she will get a fair hearing in Hades’ Kangaroo court.
Melding dance, comedy, theatre, and live music this is a reimagining of one of the most enduring and extreme stories of family dysfunction.
“Lost Dog’s fresh take on the myth of Medea is the real deal: a potent brew of dance, drama, music and glorious stage-scapes, with a GSOH to boot.” – Time Out
