Benjamin Askew
Benjamin Askew trained at the Drama Centre in London. He is part of the Royal Court Young Writers Programme, and he has been invited to join the Studio Group in 2012. Benjamin’s plays include: LOVE IN THE TIME OF TEXTING (short play, Theatre 503, 2010); A COMPREHENSIVE TRAGEDY (short play, Theatre 503, 2009); IN BED WITH MESSALINA (Drama Centre London/ Eyestrings, 2009); THE HOUSE OF GINGERBREAD (Arcola, Edinburgh Festival, 2008). Benjamin’s acting work includes seasons with Shakespeare’s Globe, Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory and Theatre by the Lake along with many other theatre, radio and TV productions.
Benjamin’s Hotbed play is about the witch-hunts that took place during the English Civil War. Two characters are sharing a cell: Matthew Hopkins (the self-styled Witchfinder General) and Elizabeth Malkin, a young woman “discovered” by Hopkins on one of his previous Cleansing Expeditions. Both now stand accused of witchcraft.
Interview with Benjamin:
What was the inspiration behind your play?
I’ve always been fascinated by stories of witchcraft and witch-hunting. Whilst I was reading about the “witch-craze” of the seventeenth century, two stories seemed to stand out; one involving the infamous Matthew Hopkins and another involving a young woman called Alizon Device (on whom my character of Lizzy Malkin is largely based). Both cases had me asking questions about faith, identity and our need to see others as “evil”. So I thought it might be interesting to bring those two people together. And so that’s what I’ve done.
What is your greatest ambition?
I write verse plays. I think that this is a very exciting and fulfilling way to spend my time but whenever I tell people, it always feels as though I’ve just made some kind of terrible confession, as though I’ve said, “I’m an alcoholic” or “I kill kittens” or “I never really took to The Sopranos” (None of which is true, I hasten to add!) I suppose my greatest ambition is to write plays that make people as excited about the idea of new verse drama as I am.
Who is your favourite writer(s)?
Is Shakespeare too obvious an answer? Well, it’s true so I guess we’ll all just have to live with it.
When was the last time you laughed out loud and why?
I’m not sure. I think that’s because I laugh out loud fairly regularly and not because I have a miserable existence.
Click on the links below for reviews of Benjamin’s work:
