Ben Ellis (playwright)
Encyclopedia
Ben Ellis is a playwright from Gippsland
in Australia
, now based in London
. His significant works include Post Felicity (2001), Falling Petals (2002), a stage adaptation of Franz Kafka
's The Metamorphosis
(2005), and more recently Poet No. 7 (2006) and The Final Shot (Theatre503
, 2007), both premiering in London. The Final Shot, about the television broadcast of a man's death, featured Susannah York
. His latest play, The Captive explores the folklore surrounding the supposed capture of a white woman by aboriginal people in East Gippsland.
Ellis' short play about the death of activist Rachel Corrie
, Blindingly obvious facts, was featured in the 2007 Melbourne
Top 30 season of the Short and Sweet
short play competition.
for Post Felicity (the latter in 2000, before the play was produced, under the title Who Are You, Mr James?). He was also the recipient of the Wal Cherry
Play of the Year Award in 2002 for Falling Petals.
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, now based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His significant works include Post Felicity (2001), Falling Petals (2002), a stage adaptation of Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
's The Metamorphosis
The Metamorphosis
The Metamorphosis is a novella by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915. It is often cited as one of the seminal works of short fiction of the 20th century and is widely studied in colleges and universities across the western world...
(2005), and more recently Poet No. 7 (2006) and The Final Shot (Theatre503
Theatre 503
Theatre503 is located at 503 Battersea Park Road in Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth, above the Latchmere pub. It is a performing arts venue which specialises in new work.-History:...
, 2007), both premiering in London. The Final Shot, about the television broadcast of a man's death, featured Susannah York
Susannah York
Susannah York was a British film, stage and television actress. She was awarded a BAFTA as Best Supporting Actress for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for the same film. She won best actress for Images at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival...
. His latest play, The Captive explores the folklore surrounding the supposed capture of a white woman by aboriginal people in East Gippsland.
Ellis' short play about the death of activist Rachel Corrie
Rachel Corrie
Rachel Aliene Corrie was an American member of the International Solidarity Movement . She was killed in the Gaza Strip by an Israel Defence Forces bulldozer when she was standing or kneeling in front of a local Palestinian's home, thus acting as a human shield, attempting to prevent the IDF from...
, Blindingly obvious facts, was featured in the 2007 Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
Top 30 season of the Short and Sweet
Short and Sweet
Short+Sweet is a multi-form arts platform presenting festivals in theatre, dance, music-theatre and cabaret across Australia and Asia...
short play competition.
Awards
Ellis was awarded the inaugural Malcolm Robertson Prize and the Patrick White Playwrights' AwardPatrick White Playwrights' Award
The Patrick White Playwrights' Award is an annual Australian literary award established jointly by the Sydney Theatre Company and The Sydney Morning Herald in honour of Patrick White's contribution to Australian theatre...
for Post Felicity (the latter in 2000, before the play was produced, under the title Who Are You, Mr James?). He was also the recipient of the Wal Cherry
Wal Cherry
Wal Cherry was an Australian theatre director, and academic.As the founder and director of the Emerald Hill Theatre Company in Melbourne, Victoria, Cherry gained a reputation in the early 1960s for innovative programming and bold productions, particularly of Australian plays...
Play of the Year Award in 2002 for Falling Petals.
External links
- Parachute of a Playwright - Ellis' blogBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
- Ellis plays at Currency Press