Ben Kewin

Benedict Power presents:

Real Life
Written and performed by Ben Kewin
Created with, produced and directed by Benedict Power

Sound Design by Gerry Marsden
Stage Design by Meriel Pym

The Studio at the Royal Exchange Theatre
St Ann’s Square, Manchester
Friday 24th July, 7.30pm

'Real Life is a masterful display of tight writing, performance and a great deal of lunacy’
???? The Skinny

Following last year’s hugely successful performances at Gorilla in Manchester Ben Kewin and
Benedict Power bring Real Life, their critically acclaimed play to the Royal Exchange Theatre on Friday 24 July. Using all of the performance styles, Ben Kewin presents a series of staggeringly beautiful plays and readings that help the audience to understand the things that can sometimes be hard to understand unless they have seen a play about them.

‘Being big and strong and powerful and relaxed is easy, but what about the less important things...
like understanding, caring and crying? The power of theatre enables us to explore these emotions together, so we don't have to talk about them in real life. I want to make people cry. That's why my work is important. Let's begin...’

Ben Kewin is an experienced comedy writer and performer, and a founding member of critically acclaimed sketch group Comedy Bitch, whose shows have sold out venues in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. Stage credits include devising and performing Office Party (The Pleasance Islington) and Horse of Death (Ikebana/The Green Room- ACE supported). He has performed stand-up at Frog and Bucket, The Comedy Store, Shambodie, XS Malarky and was runner up in Mirth on Monday's newcomer competition, as well featuring in TV comedy, Robert's Webb.

Benedict Power has directed, produced and collaborated on many new plays. His most recent work Spring Reign, set during the current civil war in Syria, played at The Lowry Studio, Salford and Theatre in the Mill, Bradford, in May 2015. He produced and directed a new commission, War Stories, for Manchester's 2014 24/7 Festival, in partnership with the You Are Here Festival in Canberra, Australia, which was selected for this years Re:play festival at new theatre HOME, in Manchester. Other work includes Manchester Theatre Award nominated The Bubbler, also selected for Re:play in 2013, which went on to tour throughout the North of England in 2014. He devised and directed Unhinged, a 'work in progress' for Jackson's Lane, Highgate, and Temp/Casual, also for Manchester’s 24/7 Festival, going on to perform for a week at the Contact Theatre, where he also directs new writing showcase, Verbally Challenged.