Articles by Ben Ludlow

Tom Brown's Schooldays

Thomas Hughes’ novel of 1857 is as seminal as Dickens’ Nicholas Nickleby in exposing scholastic malpractice in the 19th century.

The Sorcerer

St Andrews University’s Gilbert and Sullivan Society is in sparkling form with their presentation of this little known show.

We Are, in Fact, the Problem

That most middle class of events, the dinner party, can be a night of stimulating conversation, wonderful company and dramatic revelation.

Twelfth Night

Where would school theatre be without A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night? The latter is certainly a popular Shakespeare play for drama educators, with its saga of shipwr…

A Night at the Musicals – Spotlights Show Choir

Is Exeter University emerging as the new powerhouse in student musical groups on the Edinburgh Fringe? Let’s not complicate this - the answer is simply but emphatically Yes.

The Pirates of Penzance

Cat-Like Tread makes a welcome post-Covid return to the Fringe with this ever-popular jolly romp, a Gilbert and Sullivan classic and a dashed good night out.

The Father

It isn’t easy representing old age on stage.

Little Shop of Horrors

Flower arranging becomes a life and death hobby in Little Shop of Horrors, a popular-on-the-circuit science fiction cult musical classic.

MacBeth

Some say that when actor-managers were struggling for money, they used to turn in desperation to the one play that could always guarantee an audience.

Here You Come Again

Creating an effective vehicle for performers, be it musical, play, comedy set or improv format, is arguably the most challenging task a creative artist can undertake.