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Ben Power

BEN POWER

  
Nationality:    British
facebook     email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    United Agents  represented by Rose Cobbe

Ben Power is a writer and dramaturg. Since 2010 he has been an Associate Director of the National Theatre. Dramaturgy for the NT includes: Earthquakes in London, Greenland, Double Feature, 13, antigone, The Doctor's Dilemma, Timon of Athens, This House, The Effect and Strange Interlude. In 2013, he commissioned and programmed a year of work in the NT's new temporary theatre, The Shed. Ben's own work in The Shed includes The Hush with Matthew Herbert and an adaptation of Ross Collins' The Elephantom. From 2006-2010, Ben was the Associate Director of Headlong. Work commissioned and developed includes Lucy Prebble's award-winning ENRON (Chichester, Royal Court, West End and Broadway, 2009-10); King Lear (Young Vic and Liverpool Everyman, 2007-08); and Stephen Adly Guirgis' The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Almeida, 2007). Other work for the theatre includes dramaturgy on Complicite's A Disappearing Number (Barbican and International Tour 2008-09), which won the Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics' Circle awards for Best Play.

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below is a list of Ben Power's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall         Cinderella         Elephantom, The         Emperor And Galilean         Faustus         Gulliver         Husband and Sons         Hush, The         Medea         Paradise Lost         Romeo and Juliet         Six Characters in Search of an Author         Sixty-Six Books         Tamburlaine the Great         Tender Thing, A         Things She Sees, The

Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall

Synopsis:
WW2 satire by Gunner Milligan

Notes:
adapted by Ben Power And Tim Carroll from book by Spike Milligan

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Cinderella

Synopsis:
the Brothers Grimm version where birds and the spirit of her dead mother help the downtrodden girl towards a happy climax

Notes:
Adaptation By Ben Power And Melly Still

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Elephantom, The

Synopsis:
The story of one little girl and her larger-than-life friend is brought to life with puppetry and theatrical ingenuity. At first, the little girl is thrilled to have a ghost-elephant living in her house. He makes life so much more fun! But Elephantoms are a bit too big for houses and before long, he's causing a lot of trouble.

Notes:
adaptation by Ben Power from the book by Ross Collins

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
TYA

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Emperor And Galilean

Emperor And Galilean
Made Emperor, Julian attemps to abolish Christianity and restore the old gods. But met with fierce resistance, this great free-thinker becomes a tyrant more hated than his brutal predecessor Constantius. And in arousing the Christians from their apathy he advances their cause, his life and death altering the course of history in stark opposition to his intent. Ibsen's little-known masterpiece sweeps across Greece and the Middle East from AD351, covering twelve crucial years in the history of civilisation.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Henrik Ibsen. Combines Ibsen's two plays, Julian the Apostate And Emperor Julian And is based on literal translations by Anne-Marie Stanton-Ife And marie Wells

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  20            Female:  5            Other:  extras

Further Reference:

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Faustus

Faustus
Faustus, Mephistopheles and Helen of Troy are all present - but then comes the strange inclusion of Jake and Dinos Chapman. the Chapmans? Who let them in? the Chapmans are, of course, masters in the art of aesthetic hijacking - the most notorious recent example being their purchase of Goya's etching series Disasters of War in order to deface it with clowns and puppies' heads. they entitled the result Insult to Injury. Goold adds further insult to injury by interleaving scenes from the Renaissance play with a new scenario, devised with Ben Power, detailing the Chapmans' scheme to purchase and "rectify" the Goyas. It sounds like an act of hubris on a Faustian scale, yet unlike the necromantic doctor, Goold gets away with it. - Alfred Hickling, Guardian

Notes:
Original Playwright - Christopher Marlowe, Adapted by Rupert Goold with Ben Power

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Nick Hern Books, London >>>, 2007   978-1854595737

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  3            Other:  chorus

Further Reference:

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Gulliver

Synopsis:
Described as "an innovative experiment in theatrical form, filtering the spirit and the ambition of the novel through the lens of contemporary culture, Rupert Goold and Ben Power create a visceral satiric exploration of identity, sanity and international relations."

Notes:
By Rupert Goold And Ben Power, in response to Jonathan Swift's novel

1st Produced:
-    2010

Organisations:
Headlong

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Husband and Sons

Husband and Sons
Husbands & Sons interweaves three of D H Lawrence's greatest dramas, and plays them simultaneously. Describing the world he came from with fierce tenderness, Lawrence evokes a now-vanished world of manual labour and working class pride. It's risky work, handlin' men, my lass. For when a woman builds 'er life on men, either 'usbands or sons, she builds on summat as sooner or later brings the 'ouse down crash on 'er head - yi, she does. On the cracked border of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire stands the village of Eastwood. The women of the village, wives and mothers, struggle to hold their families and their own souls together in the shadow of the great Brinsley pit.

Notes:
Lawrence's trilogy of mining dramas, The Daughter-in-Law, A Collier's Friday Night and The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd, adapted by Ben Power into a single play.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  9            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hush, The

Synopsis:
Matthew Herbert  composer, DJ and electronic music pioneer  creates a unique aural adventure investigating the emotions and politics of sound with wit and theatrical imagination. Part-gig, part-play, part-installation: actors, sound designers and theatre-makers collaborate on this very special performance.

Notes:
created by Matthew Herbert and Ben Power

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
original music and sound scores by Matthew Herbert

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
piece

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  2 foley artists

Further Reference:

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Medea

Medea
Medea is a wife and a mother. For the sake of her husband, Jason, she's left her home and borne two sons in exile. But when he abandons his family for a new life, Medea faces banishment and separation from her children. Cornered, she begs for one day's grace. It's time enough. She exacts an appalling revenge and destroys everything she holds dear.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  15            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Paradise Lost

Synopsis:
"Here at least we shall be free. Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven. . ." Defeated in battle and exiled from heaven, Satan burns in a lake of fire with his army of rebels around him. Consumed with envy, he plots his bitter revenge  to destroy Gods delight in his newest creation. During his hunt for Paradise on Earth, Satan sweet-talks his way out of hell and tricks his way across the universe to tempt Eve and seduce humanity.

Notes:
from the poem by John Milton

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Oxford Stage Company

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  1            Other:  angels

Further Reference:

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Romeo and Juliet

Synopsis:
Here's much to do with hate, but more with love. . .A modern city. A deadly feud. And a pair of star-crossed lovers. Set against a vibrant urban backdrop, bursting full of excitement, colour, dancing and live song, a company of eight recreate the most famous love story of all time. Join us for this swift, contemporary celebration of Shakespeare's much loved drama as we bring Romeo and Juliet to life for a new generation.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Shakespeare in a new version for young audiences by Ben Powe

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
TYA adaptation

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Six Characters in Search of an Author

Six Characters in Search of an Author
Pirandello's classic play updated for the twenty-first century by the team behind Faustus. Blurring the border between fiction and life, between the stage and the world outside, Six Characters in Search of an Author exploded onto the stage in 1921 as one of the unique achievements of twentieth-century Drama. Updated and recontextualised in this vertiginous new version, it becomes a dark parable for a media-obsessed age and an exhilarating exploration of how we define art, ourselves and 'reality' in the twenty-first century.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Luigi Pirandello. version by Rupert Goold And Ben Power

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Headlong Theatre

1st Published:
Nick Hern Books, London >>>, 2008   978-1854595317

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  4            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:

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Sixty-Six Books

Synopsis:
Sixty-Six Books, One Hundred Artists, One New Theatre. This October, the Bush Theatre will open the doors to its new home with Sixty-Six Books, an epic performance cycle featuring over 100 artists from across the globe. From Jeanette Winterson to Jack Thorne, Carol Ann Duffy to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Billy Bragg to Wole Soyinka, sixty-six writers from a huge range of backgrounds and disciplines have made a contemporary response to some of the oldest stories ever told. In 2011, the 400th anniversary year of the publication of the King James Bible, each book of this great English work is spoken to by a remarkable range of playwrights, poets, songwriters, novelists and comedians from all faiths and none, from over a dozen countries and across five continents. The cycle will begin and end with two exhilarating 24-hour performances during which you can experience all 66 responses with a 24 Hour Pass.

Notes:
written by Kwame Kwei Armah, Alia Bano, Neil Bartlett, Caroline Bird, Yemisi Blake, Billy Bragg, Moira Buffini, Sam Burns, Suhayla El Bushra, Anne Carson, Matt Charman, Brian Chikwava, Elinor Cook, Laura Dockrill, Carol Ann Duffy, Stella Duffy, David Edgar, Helen Edmundson, David Eldridge, Adam Foulds, Naomi Foyle, Salena Godden, Chris Goode, James Graham, Trevor Griffiths, Suheir Hammad, Nathalie Handal, Nancy Harris, Daisy Hasan, DC Jackson, Jackie Kay, Luke Kennard, Maha Khan Philips, Deirdre Kinahan, Nancy Kricorian, Neil LaBute, Nick Laird, Mandla Langla, Stewart Lee, Toby Litt, Lachlan Mackinnon, Anne Michaels, Helen Mort, Kate Mosse, Andrew Motion, Paul Muldoon, Molly Naylor, Anthony Neilson, Nick Payne, Wena Poon, Ben Power, Anya Reiss, Tim Rice, Michael Rosen, Kamila Shamsie, Owen Sheers, Christopher Shinn, Wole Soyinka, Jack Thorne, Enda Walsh, Zukiswa Wanner, Steve Waters, Rowan Williams, Jeanette Winterson, Anthony Weigh, Roy Williams.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
short piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tamburlaine the Great

Synopsis:
Between 1593 and 1603 the Rose premiered many of Marlowe s plays and 400 years on this adaptation of Tamburlaine the Greatby Ben Power is being presented by Cannon s Mouth, a new classical ensemble under the patronage of Sir Peter Hall. The company is made up entirely of young actors intent on discovering a new voice for the great metaphorical dramas of the Renaissance, while receiving guidance from some of the greatest names in today s classical theatre. The part of Tamburlaine will be played by Khalid Abdalla, recent winner of the Best Actor award at the National Student Drama Festival.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Christopher Marlowe

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Cannon's Mouth

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  8 actors

Further Reference:

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Tender Thing, A

Tender Thing, A
Another Romeo and another Juliet in a strikingly different love story. . .Ben Power weaves the text of Romeo and Juliet into a provocative new tale of love and sacrifice. Re-imagining Shakespeare's story, A Tender Thing is an elegiac yet ultimately hopeful account of the human capacity for love. Shakespeare's timeless poetry provides the backdrop for this delicate and moving account of old age, memory and the demands we make of those we love. When a married couple discover that their lifetime together is drawing to a close, they realise they cannot contemplate being apart.

Notes:
adapted from Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

1st Produced:

Organisations:
RSC

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Things She Sees, The

Synopsis:
A thirteen year old girl and her diverse family heritage

Notes:
part of local heats of the National theatre's New Connections festival of new, short plays performed by schools And youth groups. based on the novel by Charles Boyle

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Dukes Youth Theatre

1st Published:
in New Connections 2009, Faber and Faber, London and National theatre   978-0571251353

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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