Dende Collective

16/06/2026

🎭 MEET SOME OF THE SUSPECTS... 🎭

The costumes are arriving, the mystery is deepening, and next week our community cast takes to the stage at The Cockpit with:

👂 The Mysterious Case of Sir Percival Lancelot and His Missing Ear

Designed by the wonderful Caroline Jones, these are some of the first costumes from a show filled with eccentric aristocrats, suspicious relatives, questionable servants, secret societies, detectives, and one very missing ear...

🔎 Sir Percival Lancelot is dead.

👂 His ear is missing.

💰 His will has just been read.

😳 Everybody seems to have a motive.

Can our detectives uncover the truth before it’s too late?

🎭 Performed by participants from Dendê Collective’s Drama for Elders programme.

📍 The Cockpit

🗓 Saturday 27 June – 7:00pm

🗓 Sunday 28 June – 5:00pm

🎟 FREE ENTRY – BOOKING ESSENTIAL

A huge thank you to our partners and supporters including The Cockpit, Church Street Library, City of Westminster Charitable Trust, and everyone who has helped bring this mystery to life.

Who do you think did it?

14/06/2026

🎭 THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF SIR PERCIVAL LANCELOT AND HIS MISSING EAR 🎭

We are very excited to share the poster and flyer for our latest Drama for Elders production, beautifully designed by Laura Ring.

The photoshoot was enormous fun.

What makes us especially proud is that this show has been devised entirely by the participants. Over the last few months we have built an entire world together from improvisations, stories, ideas, jokes, arguments and imagination. Every character, relationship, motive and absurd twist has emerged from the creativity of the group.

We asked AI how it would describe the script we have been devising and its answer was:

"Agatha Christie meets Knives Out meets The Simpsons meets a conspiracy theory documentary performed by a community theatre company after drinking too much prosecco."

We loved it and sharing it here.

🎟 FREE OF CHARGE
📍 The Cockpit Theatre, London
📅 Saturday 27 June – 7:00pm
📅 Sunday 28 June – 5:00pm

Booking is essential via The Cockpit website.

Huge thanks to our wonderful creative team:
✨ Bob Karper
✨ Caroline Jones
✨ Liberty Bliss

And to our supporters and partners:
❤️ City of Westminster Charitable Trust
❤️ City of Westminster College
❤️ Church Street Library
❤️ The Cockpit

More rehearsal photos and behind-the-scenes glimpses coming soon.

14/06/2026

🎭 THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF SIR PERCIVAL LANCELOT AND HIS MISSING EAR 🎭

Very proud to finally share our poster and flyer, beautifully designed by Laura Ring after a wonderfully chaotic and very fun photoshoot!

This show has been created completely from scratch by our Drama for Elders participants. Every character, scene, motive, secret society, missing ear, suspicious aristocrat and cry of “Oo La La!” emerged through improvisation, imagination and months of devising together.

When we asked AI to describe the show, it replied:

“Agatha Christie meets Knives Out meets The Simpsons meets a conspiracy theory documentary performed by a community theatre company after drinking too much prosecco.”

We loved that description so much that we decided to keep it.

🎭 FREE OF CHARGE
🎭 Booking essential
🎭 Please only book if you intend to attend, as places are limited

📅 Saturday 27 June – 7:00pm
📅 Sunday 28 June – 5:00pm

📍 The Cockpit Theatre, London

More rehearsal and behind-the-scenes photos coming soon...

Huge thanks to our amazing creative team:
✨ Bob Karper
✨ Caroline Jones
✨ Liberty Bliss

Supported by City of Westminster Charitable Trust and City of Westminster College, in partnership with Church Street Library and The Cockpit.

Murder. Inheritance. Secret societies. Corruption. A missing ear.

Oo La La.

30/05/2026

📸 Marylebone Journal Feature

We’re incredibly proud to share that our Artistic Director, André Pink, is featured in the latest issue of the Marylebone Journal 💛

The piece, written by JP Aubin-Parvu with beautiful photographs by Orlando Gili, offers a thoughtful insight into André’s journey and the work of Dendê Collective — from its beginnings to the ongoing development of the Dendê Elders programme.

It’s a generous and well-observed article that captures the heart of what we do: creating spaces for creativity, connection, and expression within our communities.

Huge thanks to JP and Orlando for such a sensitive and generous feature — we’re very grateful.

Swipe to read more 👀

15/04/2026

🎭 Masks in the Library – Film 5 (Final)

Part 5 of a 5-part series by .karper at Pimlico Library with SouthWestFest.

A final glimpse into the afternoon walkabout — featuring Dendê’s Family masks in full flow.

Bold, playful, and completely committed, the group transformed the library with striking characters, humour, and physical storytelling — all created and performed in just 3 days.

We’re incredibly proud of the work, the risk-taking, and the presence they brought into a public space.

⸻

✨ Pimlico Playmakers (55+)
📅 Starts 14 April | Tuesdays, 2–4pm
🎟️ Free, drop-in
📝 Link in bio

⸻

🎥 .karper
🎨
🙏 Westminster City Council

➡️ Thank you for following the series

CreativeAging TheatreForAll SouthWestFest LondonArt

13/11/2025