Working class people applying for drama schools - if you're looking for a bit of help with your audition pieces (modern and/or classical), hit me up. I'm offering a free zoom chat at a time that's best for you. Email me - ben
@1623theatre
.co.uk - and we'll sort something.
My 80-year-old neighbour who has dementia recited a speech from Merchant of Venice for me when I popped round to wish her happy birthday. So I spoke Romeo's words to her. Her eyes sparkled and a big smile grew on her face. We're going for dinner at the pub on Thursday. 🎭💖🍽
When you have a following as big as Ralph Fiennes does and an opportunity to speak about the arts on the BBC, please don't waste that opportunity by sneering at theatre content notices. Please advocate for government investment and how the arts are vital to our wellbeing. Thanks.
Mum has acute mental health issues. She's in self-isolation. One of her coping strategies when she has an anxiety attack is to hug me tightly. She's trying hard to adapt and today is a struggle. Please send her a hug if you can muster one and I'll show her. Her name is Viv. X
Their vocals might not have been the best last night, but respect to Hatari and Madonna for using their Eurovision exposure to cut through the frothy distraction from what Israeli nationalists are doing to Palestinians.
#FreePalestine
#Eurovision
Wondering if we could have a day where theatre companies lay out used sets / props / costumes in a big space (car park? park? studio?) so that designers / directors / makers can check them out and take what they want? Like a yard sale. Or a website with photos like eBay?
In a workshop that I ran today, a 7-year-old boy who volunteered to play Titania the Fairy Queen was beaming from ear to ear as he wore his flower crown, cloak and wings while the rest of his class circled round him and sang a lullaby so gently to him. 1/2
Artists - if you need to host a meeting, workshop or event on Zoom for more than 40 mins and don't have the full version, ping me a DM and I'll share
@1623theatre
's login details. We bought access with
@ace_national
funding and want it to be used as much as poss.
#LetsCreate
Mum was feeling down. I held her hand and stroked it softly. She said she's not sure why she's feeling like this. I said that's ok. She smiled, she cried, she talked. And now she's gone for a nap, and I'm in the room next door. I love her so much. ❤
Mum was weepy today.
Me: What's up, Mum?
Mum: I'm missing my Mum.
Me: Wanna talk about her?
Mum: Yeah.
Me: What's your fave memory of her?
Mum: When she tickled my back.
Me: Shall I tickle your back?
Mum: Yes please.
I tickled her back.
She laughed lots.
Mum: Thanks, Mum.
❤
Right, ok. Gotta say this. Shakespeare's work belongs to no one and everyone. No niche. It's there for the taking, the exploration, the challenge, the interrogation, the exhilaration. You can ignore it, engage with it, love it, hate it, agree with it, question it. It's yours.
Then he started crying. A lot. "Are you OK?" I asked. "I'm so happy," he said. "I think he's found acceptance," whispered the teacher in my ear. Big up to team work. And thank you to Edward
@Boott
for asking me to do this today. X 🎭🧚🏽♂️💖 2/2
The first time a woman performed professionally in England was today (8 Dec) in 1660. She played Desdemona in Othello at Vere Street Theatre in Camden. Research suggests that she was Anne Marshall or Margaret Hughes. Hit me up for more.
On this day in 2007, Derby Playhouse went into administration and closed down. 15 years later, and
@DerbyTheatre
is a hive of activity, co-creating with local communities and making a huge positive difference to the lives of locals and visitors. Big up to
@SarahBrigham
and Team.
Hiya
@NationalTheatre
. Am sure you'll do this anyway ... at your next streaming, on Thurs 9th April, could you ask the audience to seek out their local theatre and donate to them? We all need to support each other right now, and into the future too. Let's be a national network. X
Big up to everyone who is working in the arts to engage young people with ways of expressing, connecting and creating. It's not about one particular artform or one specific company. It's about all of us and our myriad of ways while centring young people in our work. Keep going.
Was offered a directing job today and it's not even with 1623 (ha ha!) - can't say what yet (ooooooh) but over the moooooooon!! Boogie, boogie, and ¡¡¡Viva la weekend!!!
No no no to David Mamet's new play in response to
#MeToo
. And to Steven Berkoff's. Just no. NO. To both. And to any other work that looks at this issue from an exclusively male perspective. Where are the women's voices in these works?
If - like me - you're a hearing person and you need to communicate with a Deaf person and you're not fluent in BSL, make sure you book an interpreter. Please don't put the responsibility on the Deaf person, as it's your communication need. (1/2)
If a young person in your life is studying one of Shakespeare's plays and you're struggling to support them while homeschooling, drop me a line. I know quite a bit of stuff about these plays and can help. DM, or email ben
@1623theatre
.co.uk. 📚🎭
Do you know what's really lovely? When the artistic director of your local theatre texts you to say they hope you had a fun and creative first day of rehearsals with your own company. It's really really lovely, that is.
Started the day with The Personal History of David Copperfield, a beautiful film by
@Aiannucci
. Funny, moving, uplifting - the importance of being grateful for other people's kindness and paying it forward with your own. And what a cast! Heart is full to bursting. 💓
Hiya. From 28 Feb, I'm going to be based at
@Graeae
one day a month. If you'd like to meet up to talk/plan/dream/ask about theatre/art/community/access/collabs, let me know. I'm ben
@1623theatre
.co.uk.
@1623theatre
still has bases in Derby and Gateshead, as well as London now. Ta.
Kev and me in the pub in 1999.......
Me: So Kev, what are your plans?
Kev: I'd like to write for EastEnders.
Tonight's 60-min New Year special.........
Fab first day of
@Graeae
residency. Here one day a month throughout the year. Thank you
@Doderonomy
,
@GraeaeJennyS
& Victoria for making this poss. See you next month! ❤
Hello actors, creatives, directors, theatremakers, writers. Wanna cuppa & chat on zoom? Contact me for 30-min slot to talk about any aspect of your work. I'll try my best to help, if needed. Email ben
@1623theatre
.co.uk.
My MP
@ASollowayUK
voted against free school meals for children who need them. These children include my niece, who will have to eat from a food bank, which is already stretched by widespread poverty. My niece says she feels ashamed, but she's not the one who should feel ashamed.
@Planet2kCed
Please remove your tweet above - it's ableist. The footage is from 2017, when disabled people went into the US Senate to protest against cuts to Medicaid. It was - and still is - a matter of life and death. If you don't delete the tweet yourself, I shall report it to Twitter.
After months & months of planning, adapting, fundraising, recruiting, designing and rehearsing...... it's show day!!!
@1623theatre
,
@purpletheatre1
&
@Century_Theatre
present MUCH ADO by Ranjit Bolt and HERO'S SONG by Tamika Steadman. Let's go! First show at 10am. X
Update: both tests came back negative. Phew! Thanks for kind words and offers of help. Really appreciate your kindness. Hope you're ok. Lots of love. xxx
Mum and I just did home Covid tests as we both have symptoms. Off to the post box now, eyes full of tears and heart full of hope. Hope you're all doing ok, friends. Lotsa love. xxx P.S. If you have symptoms, here's the lowdown for getting a test: . 💙
I will be boycotting this production, and I urge you to do the same - casting a non-disabled actor as Richard and erasing Richard's disability is to erase disabled history, culture and identity. As a disabled person, I am disgusted and support
@DisArtAlliance
fully.
Friends in the UK, if you're feeling extremely low and thinking you might want to take your life, please text SHOUT to 85258 and a trained crisis volunteer will text you back. It's free, and available all the time. Life really is worth living. Please RT. Lots of love.
When you get a DM from someone who came to your show 2 years ago, and they say your work made such a positive impact on their life that they rediscovered hope just as they were about to give up, and they've grown their own creativity. That. Makes it all worthwhile. ❤
Every person who managed to make any art at all in 2020 and/or worked to save other people's lives and/or supported social justice movements and/or locked down and/or was kind, is on my list of achievers. You're all fucking brilliant. All of you. And yes, that includes you.
Yesterday, I lost 3 friends and colleagues to the virus known as racism. They are all white. They told me to stop talking about Black Lives Matter, and that
@1623theatre
's statement and action plan are nothing more than politically-correct PR. And then they jumped ship. Advice?
An old friend who knew me as he/him has accepted that I'm they/them and he's sent me the most beautiful message of support. Thank you. This means so much. Kindness is a gorgeous thing. X
Today, an SEN student who usually sits on her own rolled around in scarves with a wide grin on her face. Another, who is blind, laughed so much at turning his friend into a donkey that he cried. All felt tree bark, smelt flowers, flew through the sky and danced by moonlight. 🌜💖
TABBOULEH - a play I have in my head & heart where I play my Lebanese Grandma, Fortunée Nassar, who I adored. I tell her story of riches to rags while making tabbouleh - to her recipe - for the audience. Anyone wanna make this with me? Director? Dramaturg? DMs open.
#Tabbouleh
Just had the loveliest chat with my fabulous niece about gender-neutral terms. She's chosen to call me her Bibi Ben, or sometimes Zizi Ben. She quite likes Entle too, "cos it's a bit like gentle." I love her so much. We accept each other's identities without question. 💓
@NorwichCityFC
So why are you sharing it? It's triggering for many LGBT+ people including me. Please remove it, apologise and find better ways of tackling anti-LGBT+ language. I suggest asking
@StonewallUK
for advice as a first step.
Hiya. If you're a hearing and/or seeing person and would like Twitter to be accessible to Deaf and blind people, you can play your part as a Twitter citizen by captioning your videos, sharing captioned videos, describing your photos, and sharing described photos. Ta, ducky ducks.
"If calling someone they or them makes them happy, then just do it." Thank you,
@MiriamMargolyes
, for saying this on prime time TV (
@TheGNShow
). You'll never know how much of a positive difference you've made to gender-fluid / non-binary / gender-queer people, me included. X
Super stoked to be working at
@CSSDLondon
this week with
@AAATheatre
staff & students to co-create / devise KNOCK KNOCK, a show about locked doors and how to open them.
I feel so frustrated that the wonderful news that
@NadiaNadarajah
will play Cleopatra at
@The_Globe
this year has been overshadowed by the terrible decision of the same organisation to cast a non-disabled actor as Richard III.
Everyone in the arts deserves an award for determination and resilience this year. Every artist, every creative, every company, every venue, every funder, every sponsor, every enabler, every participant, every audience member, every single one of us. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#LetsCreate
People using LGB or LGBQ are erasing the T, and this is hugely upsetting, especially when theatre people do it. This happened today across social media platforms, and it's been shared widely - this has upset a lot of trans people and allies. Please include the T. Thank you. 💞
Had an absolute meltdown today - proper full-on crying, shakes, snot, the lot. Was a reaction to discovering that my primary school teacher, who told me (a scared, lonely, anxious 9 year old) that I could do things, is alive and well. Total lockdown joy. Will write to her. X
Big up to
@GraeaeJennyS
who's celebrating 25 years with
@Graeae
today. Here's to YOU, Jen, and all you've done over the last quarter of a century - the leadership, the artistry, the campaigning, the integrity, the kindness. And here's to much more! With love and thanks. X
Wowee! New course for Deaf, disabled & neurodivergent artists with
@Graeae
&
@1623courses
, new book club starting with
@PretiTaneja
's We That Are Young, ongoing SHAKE UP shorts by marginalised artists with
@1623theatre
, recent BEHOLD! LGBT+ workshops with
@1623participate
...
Always a pleasure to work with
@1623theatre
and
@MxBenSpiller
and share their latest news and projects.
Catch-up on what they've been doing, and what's coming up, here -
At the age of 43 and having worked in theatre since 2004, I still find rejection very hard to deal with professionally, especially from people and organisations whose work I really admire. It's hard not to take it personally. What do you do to cope with the intensity of it all?
Thank you,
@UHDBTrust
, for saving my life last week. I experienced 4 days and 3 nights of the best care by the kindest staff imaginable in the walk-in centre, medical assessment unit, and ward 310. Big up to the NHS. You deserve so much more funding, respect and gratitude. 💙
@TheJeremyHaynes
Shush now. We're all trying to cope in our own ways and don't need shaming into achieving while processing and adapting. Everyone is doing their best.
Solidarity with theatres and event venues across the UK tonight as the pandemic continues to impact heavily on our industry.
#LightItInRed
#WeMakeEvents
- Chief Inspector, are you implying that I am unhinged?
- Not at all, Miss Marple.
- Then what are you implying, pray?
- That you're not quite yourself.
- Chief Inspector, I am always myself.
#MargaretRutherford
#MissMarple
#BeYourself
ALRA students - shit news today (understatement), but not all is lost. If you'd like a chat about options, let's talk. I can't offer paid work right now; but can listen, and offer advice for next steps. Email ben
@1623theatre
.co.uk. DMs open.
#ALRA
Reflecting on having completed therapy today. 8 sessions over 3 months - talking, listening, trying out techniques. Thanks to the NHS, without whom I would probably not be here. And of course, I talked my therapist into being a mental health consultant on a future project! 😉
Just processing that I directed Janet Suzman in a bit of Shakespeare yesterday. Oh my goodness. Yes, I'm showing off a bit, but - wow - that was quite an experience and I want to share the joy! x
Feeling good - finally sold all my Harry Potter stuff (books, DVDs, CDs, figurines et al) and donated the dosh to
@Mermaids_Gender
. 🧜🏽♀️💞🧜🏻♀️💞🧜🏿♀️💞🧜🏼♀️
My neighbour has been really struggling with her mental health, and so have I, so we're going to
@DerbyTheatre
's community cuppa on Friday to get us out our houses, visit one of our home city's friendliest places, sup tea, enjoy cake, do something creative and meet new people. 🙂
In a world where we've had amazing disabled actors including
@Mat_Fraser
and
@Arthur_Hughes1
play Richard III, why are we going back to non-disabled actors playing this role, the only overtly as-written disabled lead role in the Shakespeare canon?
So nervous about sharing my first ever queer poem publicly tomorrow, but good to get it out there and try to connect, represent and reassure. New experiences make you grow, yeah? And no point clutching at your art, even if you think other people might think it's shite. X
Yes to the arts venues reopening today - the people who have been keeping things going, those planning and preparing, those on furlough who are returning, everyone. Special heartfelt yesses to locals
@derbyquad
@DerbyTheatre
@dedaderby
. See you soon.
With Matt here. People have said that my (dead) dad would be so ashamed of me for being LGBTQ+. For the record: we were in a pub when I told him, he smiled, we hugged, and he bought me a pot of prawns from the cockle-seller just before last orders, because he knew I liked prawns.
I've got a director's joke, but I need actors to tell it with a bit of guidance from me so they give their best possible version of the joke. I really don't want to tell them how to tell it, I want them to discover it for themselves in way that's authentic, meaningful and true.
Sharing a bit of joy on a day that's been sad for most of us. Had an hour this afternoon catching up with a friend who I've not seen for 17 years. On zoom. Years melted away, and all that mattered was there and then. Blissful. Connection, hey? Connection, you beautiful thing. X
No way! Arts, creativity & communities are inextricably linked - to separate them would bring about snobbish hierarchy. Arts do not exist in a vacuum outside of community. Artists, participants & audiences are all citizens. We have a civic duty to support each other's creativity.
Nicholas Hytner has called on the next government to split Arts Council England's funding responsibilities, so that community work is supported outside of the organisation.
Big up to all the companies and people who place community engagement and co-creation at the heart of their work. That's the truly life-changing stuff.
Excited to be co-directing a scene from The Winter's Tale with
@GraeaeJennyS
for
@graeae
at
@The_Globe
's Sam Wanamaker Festival. Perdita (working class) and Florizel (royal) try to make their relationship work despite tension between common sense and posh privilege.
#class
#love
44 today and still going. Ha! Grateful to be alive, to have family and friends, and to be making theatre. Love and thanks to you all for being in my life and for making it worthwhile. xxxxx
Wowee -
@RoseAylingEllis
&
@PerniceGiovann1
, you are SENSATIONAL!!!!!! Two people, one Deaf and one hearing, whose first languages are BSL & Italian - united in the language of dance. Gorgeous doesn't even come near it.
I am in awe of the intelligence and resilience of Mary Beard, one of my idols for making complex ideas accessible. We should all challenge comments of hate - totally unprovoked - towards her and others.
#StopBullying
I love this place -
The people within who make it all tick,
The artists who share both inside and out,
The people who visit to enter new worlds,
The flytower, the houselights, the front-of-house smiles;
My spiritual home for 30-odd years.
Thank you. x
@DerbyTheatre
Thread. Thanks to everyone who has supported me since I came out as genderfluid, and thanks to everyone who supports all LGBTQIA+ people. There's so much transphobia around at the moment - some hateful, some unintentional - but together we can work through it.
Whether you've slept all day or climbed a mountain or cooked a meal or caught up with a friend or helped someone or worked hard or been down the road or done anything or nothing - you're doing great. Just do what you can. With love & kindness for yourself and others. It's enough.