30 min
Lorenzo: The radical potential of ‘entertainment’ PuSh Play
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- Performing Arts
Ben Target discusses his belief in entertaining an audience above all. LORENZO runs Jan 18th-20th at Push Festival.
Show Notes
Gabrielle Martin chats with Ben Target, writer and performer of LORENZO. They discuss how we treat the concept and theme of loss on stage, how Ben’s work has evolved from Fringe Festivals and standup comedy to his broader theatrical work today, and Ben’s mantra that “Entertainment is the engine, boring an audience is a crime and art must provide hope”.
Gabrielle and Ben discuss:
How do we treat the concept and theme of loss on stage? How has Ben grown as an artist between his first Fringe Festival a decade ago, and the most recent one last summer? How did Ben's work evolve from standup comedy to his broader theatrical work today—and how has it remained the same? Does a performer need to get permission from the audience to say something that isn't strictly speaking funny? What serves that audience rather than what the performer can get (laughs/applause) What is the best story we can put in front of the audience rather than what will make money? Why is collaboration so important, and why should an artist let the people they trust into their heart? What was supposed to be part of the project that ended up getting cut? What about Ben's mantra: “Entertainment is the engine, boring an audience is a crime and art must provide hope"? About Ben Target
Ben Target (he/they) is a multi-award-winning comedian, performance artist, writer, actor and director. He was born in Singapore and has lived a peripatetic life in London, Voorschoten, Houston, Jakarta and Paris. In 2011, he won the national stand-up accolade, the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year. In 2012, his debut comedy show Discover Ben Target was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer, toured to Australia and New Zealand, and was filmed as a special for the streaming service NextUp Comedy. He returned to the Edinburgh Fringe with Hooray for Ben Target (2014), Imagine There’s No Ben Target (It’s Easy If You Try) (2015), Orangeade (2017) and Splosh! (2018).
He has starred and co-starred in several comedy shows over the last decade, including Richard Gadd’s Waiting for Gaddot (Amused Moose Comedy Award for Best Show, 2015). As a director and dramaturg, Ben has worked with Kieran Hodgson (Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2023), John Hastings, Rob Copland, Katie Pritchard, and more. He has written for Joe Lycett (BBC Three) and Jamali Maddix (Channel 4), and teaches stand-up comedy at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Soho Theatre and Angel Comedy.
Land Acknowledgement
Ben joins the podcast from London, UK.
Gabrielle hosts from the unceded, stolen and ancestral territories of the Coast Salish Peoples: the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), colonially known as Vancouver.
It is our duty to establish right relations with the people on whose territories we live and work, and with the land itself.
Show Transcript
Gabrielle [00:00:02] Hello and welcome to PuSh Play, a PuSh Festival podcast featuring conversations with artists who are pushing boundaries and playing with form. I'm Gabrielle Martin PuSh's Director of programming. And today's episode highlights the theatrical treatment of loss. I'm speaking with Ben Target, writer and performer of "Lorenzo", which will be presented at PuSh Festival January 18th to 20th, 2024. "Lorenzo" is a life affirming story about death with shadow puppetry and live carpentry. Ben is a multi-award-winning comedian, performance artist, writer, actor and director. He was born in Singapore and has lived a peripatetic life in London, Voorschoten, Houston, Jakarta and Paris. I'm honoured to share our discussion that looks at the intersection of comedy and tragedy in "Lorenzo" and more. Here's my conversation with Ben.
Gabrielle [00:00:54] Hello, I'm Gabrielle, the director of programming
Ben Target discusses his belief in entertaining an audience above all. LORENZO runs Jan 18th-20th at Push Festival.
Show Notes
Gabrielle Martin chats with Ben Target, writer and performer of LORENZO. They discuss how we treat the concept and theme of loss on stage, how Ben’s work has evolved from Fringe Festivals and standup comedy to his broader theatrical work today, and Ben’s mantra that “Entertainment is the engine, boring an audience is a crime and art must provide hope”.
Gabrielle and Ben discuss:
How do we treat the concept and theme of loss on stage? How has Ben grown as an artist between his first Fringe Festival a decade ago, and the most recent one last summer? How did Ben's work evolve from standup comedy to his broader theatrical work today—and how has it remained the same? Does a performer need to get permission from the audience to say something that isn't strictly speaking funny? What serves that audience rather than what the performer can get (laughs/applause) What is the best story we can put in front of the audience rather than what will make money? Why is collaboration so important, and why should an artist let the people they trust into their heart? What was supposed to be part of the project that ended up getting cut? What about Ben's mantra: “Entertainment is the engine, boring an audience is a crime and art must provide hope"? About Ben Target
Ben Target (he/they) is a multi-award-winning comedian, performance artist, writer, actor and director. He was born in Singapore and has lived a peripatetic life in London, Voorschoten, Houston, Jakarta and Paris. In 2011, he won the national stand-up accolade, the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year. In 2012, his debut comedy show Discover Ben Target was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer, toured to Australia and New Zealand, and was filmed as a special for the streaming service NextUp Comedy. He returned to the Edinburgh Fringe with Hooray for Ben Target (2014), Imagine There’s No Ben Target (It’s Easy If You Try) (2015), Orangeade (2017) and Splosh! (2018).
He has starred and co-starred in several comedy shows over the last decade, including Richard Gadd’s Waiting for Gaddot (Amused Moose Comedy Award for Best Show, 2015). As a director and dramaturg, Ben has worked with Kieran Hodgson (Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2023), John Hastings, Rob Copland, Katie Pritchard, and more. He has written for Joe Lycett (BBC Three) and Jamali Maddix (Channel 4), and teaches stand-up comedy at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Soho Theatre and Angel Comedy.
Land Acknowledgement
Ben joins the podcast from London, UK.
Gabrielle hosts from the unceded, stolen and ancestral territories of the Coast Salish Peoples: the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), colonially known as Vancouver.
It is our duty to establish right relations with the people on whose territories we live and work, and with the land itself.
Show Transcript
Gabrielle [00:00:02] Hello and welcome to PuSh Play, a PuSh Festival podcast featuring conversations with artists who are pushing boundaries and playing with form. I'm Gabrielle Martin PuSh's Director of programming. And today's episode highlights the theatrical treatment of loss. I'm speaking with Ben Target, writer and performer of "Lorenzo", which will be presented at PuSh Festival January 18th to 20th, 2024. "Lorenzo" is a life affirming story about death with shadow puppetry and live carpentry. Ben is a multi-award-winning comedian, performance artist, writer, actor and director. He was born in Singapore and has lived a peripatetic life in London, Voorschoten, Houston, Jakarta and Paris. I'm honoured to share our discussion that looks at the intersection of comedy and tragedy in "Lorenzo" and more. Here's my conversation with Ben.
Gabrielle [00:00:54] Hello, I'm Gabrielle, the director of programming
30 min