12/08/07 » Forgotten Classics at
the Kings Head
Continuing the theme of short projects which are dominating 2007, Ben directed
rehearsed readings of two plays by classic American authors- F Scott Fitzgerald
and Eugene O’Neill as part of a quadruple bill of one act plays at the
Kings Head. The near-capacity audience gave a warm reception to both.
23/07/07 » Workshop for Giudecca
Ben directed a workshop for the Giudecca theatre company for the play The
Yellow Ticket, once famous for being Laurence Olivier’s first foray into Hollywood
when it was adapted as a film. The company is considering mounting the first
revival of this play about prostitution in pre-war Russia for several decades
at some point in the future.
12/07/07 » Lighting "The Forbidden
Land"
Once again, Ben lit a production for someone else this week- this time a ballet
created by Helen Guscott for the Denise Winmill School of Dance which she co-runs.
The ballet, an original dark fairytale based around the music of Shostakovich,
comprised a cast of 100 dancers between 6 and 18, and included a brilliant central
performance from a soloist for the Royal Ballet. It once again enhanced Ben’s
interest in lighting, which he has designed for most of his own shows for the
last ten years as well as several for other people.
06/05/07 » A Shorter Measure of Measure
For Measure
At short notice, Ben stepped in to direct the first of several staged readings
of Shakespeare plays for Metta Theatre at the White Bear. He chose Measure for
Measure, a play he has hoped to direct for many years, and working on this abridged
reason has made his keenness all the more acute.
23/02/07 » Back to the Drawing Board
Following the eleventh hour cancellation of his writer-director debut, I’m
the King of the Castle, Ben has been using his unexpectedly barren spring
to
get back to work on various writing projects. These include a second act for
his first play All Talk, researching a new play called for now The
Kids Project,
and working with his agent on finding a future for Castle. He will also
be helping to direct a cabaret of songs and operatic arias for Porcupine Productions
in
Grantham, for whom he helped direct Dido and Aeneas last year.
