Productions

Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan

www.peterpantheshow.com

In November 2008 Ben was invited to join Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens as Director. The project, conceived by the producers Mat Churchill and Charlie Burnell, was created in a purpose-built £1m tent, which seats up to 1300 people in the round. The scenic design, created by Bill Dudley, is projected on the inner surfaces of the tent in 360 degrees, a world first in integrating CGI and theatre on this scale. Ben brought in the creatives Tanya Ronder (text) Sue Buckmaster (puppetry) and Fleur Darkin (choreography) to shape the production that was designed to be as true as possible to Barrie's heartbreaking vision of the boy who would not grow up. By staging the production in Kensington Gardens, the site of Peter's original adventures, and where Barrie first met the Llwellyn Davies boys who inspired the story, we brought the piece alive in its original spiritual home.

Ben developed the piece over three weeks of script and aerial workshop in January and six weeks of rehearsal and technical rehearsal in April/May.

An outstanding cast led by Jonathan Hyde as Hook/Mr. Darling, Ciaran Kellgren as Peter, Abby Ford as Wendy and Itxaso Moreno as Tinkerbell ensured the success of the production which married the large scale spectacle of circus arts, CGI and epic music, with the more intimate elements of storytelling and Poor Theatre technique.

Ben's first venture into commercial theatre was the second-highest grossing show of the London summer theatre season and played to over 150,000 people.

It is transferring to the Meridian Gardens at the O2 for a limited six-week season prior to a 20 month US tour in 2010. A second production is due to tour New Zealand and the Far East in 2011.