2017 News

[This is the text I sent out to members of my mailing list - it's a thing to join! To add yourself today, email me at benmoorinfo@gmail.com with the word “SUBSCRIBE” in the subject line and I promise all your dreams of free postage on a book will come true. (Your dreams are weird.)] 2017 was another of those years we seem to have these days where there's so many things happening that it all gets a bit silly. And it's not even over yet. I doubt there's much time left for anything else to happen, but if it does, I hope it's something excellent and not awful. Superdoops and Hopewards! My 2017 happenings: In January I popped up, be-whiskered and be-tophatted, in TABOO, the sumptuous and dream-like BBC1 drama that starred Tom Hardy. In cinemas, I played Mr Clark, a teacher in a jumper, for a couple of classroom scenes in the remarkable movie A MONSTER CALLS. I appeared on the ABC series STILL STAR-CROSSED, playing a cathedral caretaker called Virgil (I'm not sure when or if this will come to UK TV screens). I wore a jerkin in this. I filmed a brief scene for a BBC project called A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL, and that should come out in 2018. I wrote a new radio pilot script called THIS IS NOT YOUR LIFE. It concerns a Radio 4 panel game which isn't quite what it seems. I really hope it will be picked up, and I should have more news next year. Meanwhile, UNDONE continues to be repeated on BBC Radio 4Extra. Theatrely, I have been helping an Italian company create a show about superheroes - it's going to premiere in Genoa and Turin in Spring 2018.   I previewed two new and different sections of 'WHO HERE'S LOST?' at The Vault Festival in February and The Wenlock & Essex in May, both times as part of fundraisers for a podcast called Story Etc. The script is coming together slowly but carefully, and there should be a full preview in 2018. Here's a tiny segment: April is the cruellest Mum. She is picking on Kelly, who believed the London Shard was actually called the London Shark, even though you can totally get she means. Is it the fin of the shark, I ask her later. Well, I thought was its mouth emerging from the city, trying to bite the air, hungry for helicopters? Their kids are part of the same kindergarten debacle group, dedicated to bringing home rips and diseases and the worst artworks imaginable. But as that project takes its sweet time to emerge, I wrote and performed an entirely new show in 2017. It's called PRONOUN TROUBLE and it's not really like my other theatre pieces. It involves a Powerpoint lecture about Chuck Jones's Hunting Trilogy as well as reflections on favourite things, friendship and watching lectures. It's a bit weird, a bit learny, but funny at the same time. I brought it to The Idler Academy at The Port Eliot Festival at the end of July and performed it at The Hen and Chickens Theatre Bar in October. And I'm currently setting up dates for Pronoun Trouble in 2018 - I'll update you when things are confirmed. If you'd like me to bring it to your neck of the woods, I'd be delighted to receive suggestions / tips of people and venues to contact - or do pass on my deets to relevant folk please! THIS IS WHERE THE SUPER SPECIAL ANNUAL OFFER TO MEMBERS OF MY MAILING LIST IS FOUND BUT YOU HAVE TO JOIN IT TO GET THE OFFER - SO IF YOU WANT FREE SHIPPING FOR CHRISTMAS ON ITEMS IN MY WEBSHOP, EMAIL benmoorinfo@gmail.com WITH THE WORD "SUBSCRIBE" IN THE SUBJECT AND I'LL SEND YOU THE LINK Some of my favourite books out of those I've read over the last twelve months have been: The Fractured Europe series by Dave Hutchinson Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin The Secret Books by Marcel Theroux Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor The Vegetarian by Han Kang The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Version Control by Dexter Palmer Books are the best, and I will be delighted to receive any tip in return. Books. Some of my favourite movies this year were Colossal, Get Out, Blade Runner 2049, Paterson and Personal Shopper. Top theatrethings included Stewart Lee's Content Provider, Young Marx at the marvellous new Bridge Theatre and a production of The Name of the Rose I saw in Italy. And always a highlight is the remarkable mentoring project Scene and Heard, which partners children from Somers Town in London with volunteer theatre professionals, and continues to produce inspirational moments and the funniest, most wonderful shows you'll see. Musically, here's a short EweToob Playlist of a few of my most played songs of 2017. (Trigger warning: the videos include whimsy, the French language, ROCK, and people dressed as bears.) So that's about it from me - how have you been? Thank you for being around for this weird old year and let's see what the cool new one brings. If we can all be excellent to each other I think we'll be OK. Please accept my early compliments for the season and allow me to wish you an absolutely ghafflebette 2018. love and peace! benMOOR!