Blind actor, theatre-maker and audio description consultant Benjamin Wilson is the new associate artist at Nottingham Playhouse.
Wilson played Borachio in the Ramps on the Moon production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, which toured to Nottingham Playhouse in 2022. He received a commendation at the National Theatre and Sunday Times Ian Charleson awards for the role. He has also worked as associate director on plays in Sheffield and Leeds.
He said, “I’m absolutely delighted to be the new associate artist at Nottingham Playhouse. Having worked there as both an actor and access consultant, I’m hugely excited to get to know and learn from everyone across the organisation.
“I'm really keen to build closer connections and deepen relationships between Nottingham Playhouse and other theatre-makers in the area. The East Midlands has such a vibrant community of artists and I see this job as the opportunity to dive in and get to know everyone better. I’m very interested to see Adam (Penford, artistic director) work and to see what it takes to be an artistic leader, continuously producing work on a large scale of the highest quality.”
The role of associate artist supports the artistic director, acting as a sounding board as the artistic vision for Nottingham Playhouse is conceived and delivered.
Current associate artist Laura Turner is being retained by the Playhouse for a further year in a new role of associate literary artist.
Penford commented, “Ben’s broad experience in theatre-making across the UK and his passion for making theatre accessible will directly benefit our artists, audiences and community participants.
“We were impressed by the ambitious ideas he has for using his tenure to contribute to the creative life of Nottingham Playhouse and to develop his own craft. Laura’s dramaturgical skills have proven irreplaceable over the past year and we’re thrilled she’s agreed to stay on for a further year.”