Ben Fletcher-Watson
Drama researcher in theatre for babies & relaxed performance. Deputy Director of IASH, University of Edinburgh. Trustee of Newcastle Theatre Royal. He/him
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonNew MiniBlog, with thanks to Katherine Rundell: Why grown-ups should watch children’s theatre… www.imaginate.org.uk/news/blog-wh... via @edchildrensfest.bsky.social
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonWas interviewed by the Traverse here. Fantastic to have an opportunity to talk about everything from fencing to biography and the connection between the Cromarty oil rigs and Livi skate park. www.traverse.co.uk/news/10-ques...
- Oh yes it is! A delightful early Christmas present in today’s post: my chapter on theatre for children and young people in the new Routledge Companion to 20th-century British Theatre & Performance. Huge thanks to the editors, especially the incomparable Trish Reid!
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonReally to happy to hear from the publisher today that our book on inclusive, neurodiversity-affirmative education is a "hot new release" in education, according to Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/new-relea... Flyer attached for a discount if you buy direct from the publisher - valid through January.
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonApplications are now open for 2026-27 Fellowships at IASH! Apply via the portal on our website: www.iash.ed.ac.uk/application-... This round (for visits between August 2026 and July 2027) closes on 27 Feb for mid-career/senior scholars, and on 24 Apr for postdoctoral/early-career researchers.
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonGreat culture can save lives. Literally. Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard
- Eleven years ago, I wrote to Tom Stoppard to ask about this coup de théâtre from 1949. It took me down an unexpected rabbit hole - in memory of Stoppard, here's what I found.
- Some context: in June 1949 at Worcester College, Oxford, Nevill Coghill (1899-1980) co-directed 'The Tempest' with Graham Binns, and a student cast. Coghill’s production has gone down in history due to one particular directorial decision at the close of the play.
- 🧚♂️ According to Stoppard's story, when Ariel finishes his last speech, he runs to the edge of the lake and keeps going, pelting over the surface of the water. He disappears up into the trees. A firework shoots into the sky, where it showers sparks over the scene. 🎆 Blackout.
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View full threadAll my kind correspondents have since died - Chitty, Wardle, Becker, Gaskill and now of course, Stoppard - and few are still alive who actually experienced Ariel's magical exit. But this moment of theatre lives on, moving beyond memory into myth. Thanks for reading!
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonLooking for a Christmas gift for arts and culture lovers? You can get 25% off our stunning collection of feminist visual art and creative writing, "The Art of Being Dangerous", with code DECEMBER25 on the publisher's website: lup.be/book/the-art...
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonIn conversation with Laurie Ogden, Flo O'Mahony, Artistic Director of Zoo Co and sister to Rachel O'Mahony, explains the journey of bringing Perfect Show for Rachel back for a UK tour: following Rachel's leadership while the show grows and changes, with those involved changing with it!
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-Watson
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonGiveaway! 🎉 We're offering four copies of our new book, Women Who Dared, which spotlights powerful and defiant women who made their mark. Want to win a copy? Here's how to enter: 1. Like this post ❤️ 2. Repost 🔄 🕔 Entries close 5pm GMT on 31 Oct 🔗 Browse Women Who Dared:
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonA brand new essay collection, published by @edinburghup.bsky.social, edited by @bfletcherwatson.bsky.social & @joshaw.bsky.social foreword by @sarasheridan.bsky.social Join the book launch on Tue, 4 Nov 17:30 📍@iashedinburgh.bsky.social Free 🎟️(in person & online)👇womenwhodared.eventbrite.co.uk
- Out now! Our latest book, "Women Who Dared", is released today from Edinburgh University Press. You can purchase direct from @edinburghup.bsky.social via their website or at all good bookshops: edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-women-w...
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonTue 4 Nov, 17:30 - "Women Who Dared: From the Infamous to the Forgotten" from @edinburghup.bsky.social. Edited by @bfletcherwatson.bsky.social & @joshaw.bsky.social with a foreword by @sarasheridan.bsky.social Free tickets: womenwhodared.eventbrite.co.uk (in person and online)
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonOut now! Our latest book, "Women Who Dared", is released today from Edinburgh University Press. You can purchase direct from @edinburghup.bsky.social via their website or at all good bookshops: edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-women-w...
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonDeadline approaching for our playwright-in-residence programme for 2026 with @traversetheatre.bsky.social! 🎭 Applications are due by 5pm UK time on Monday 29 Sept. Full details of the £12,000 commission: www.iash.ed.ac.uk/iashtraverse...
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonAye Write book festival I'm really excited to be featuring on a panel at the Aye Write Book festival, following the publication of Women Who Dared, From the Famous to the Forgotten, published by Edinburgh University Press. 'This is a vibrant, defiant and deeply human collection of stories about…
- A vital article, identifying a depressing trend that’s become a certainty in recent years. Yesterday I watched five pieces of new writing *in a row* that backed up Lyn’s eagle-eyed thesis.
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonSpecial Fringe Event: Monday 11 August at the Traverse Join some of Scotland’s best playwrights in conversation with @fergusmorgan.bsky.social from 4pm www.traverse.co.uk/whats-on/eve...
- Two splendid Traverse shows - Lost Lear is a heartbreaking spin on the dementia play with lots of tricks up its sleeve; Rift combines super-tight performances with a killer script. Check them both out!
- Two Fringe shows from today that are worth your money: Kanpur: 1857 at Pleasance Courtyard is a slow burn but tells an important story. Fab tabla accompaniment. DUSK/NIGHT/DAWN at Assembly Roxy really won me over by the end - doing something new and exciting with pole dance. Some gorgeous imagery.
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonThis letter is already at over 1000 signatures, showing the level of support in UK academia for these students - and hopefully increasing pressure on the Home Office and FCDO. Still open to sign.
- Why use an AI-gen image that’s overtly sexist for a book calling for chapters on “Shakespeare and the politics of gender”? Why use an AI-gen image prompted by Venetian carnival/Commedia for a Shakespeare collection? Why use an AI-gen image at all? Pay. Artists. Properly.
- Calls for Chapters. Shakespeare: New Voices [BOOK] Deadline for submissions: June 30, 2025 call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2023/05/... Contributors are asked to provide an Abstract (300 words) and an Author bio (150 words) by 30 June 2025. Dr Ian McCormick
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-Watson‘Stone suits the poetry. Or perhaps it’s the other way round. I think poetry suits stone, more than it suits paper, certainly more than it suits a screen. The poetry releases something latent in the stone.’ New: Kathleen Jamie visits the Canongate Wall in Edinburgh. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/ju...
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonUnbound authors and former staff members who want to talk, including anonymously, get in touch at rachael.healy@observer.co.uk
- @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social @matpringle.bsky.social Could either of you add me to the Unbound WhatsApp? I can DM my number if you follow me. My book is “Dangerous Women” from 2022. Thanks!
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonExcited to say that "Neurodiversity: A Very Short Introduction" written by myself and @suereviews.bsky.social is finally ready to preorder! Afaik the first general academic introduction covering the ND movement, ND studies, and applications of ND theory in practice. global.oup.com/academic/pro...
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-WatsonTickets are still available for our conversation with playwright and screenwriter David Harrower on Friday 4 April at 11am at @edfuturesinstitute.bsky.social He'll talk about his new series "Lockerbie: A Search for Truth", starring Colin Firth. Join us! efi.ed.ac.uk/event/in-pur...
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-Watson2025 marks 55 years since the first Fellows arrived at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities ( @iashedinburgh.bsky.social) at the University of Edinburgh. To mark its 55th anniversary, the Institute is planning a series of events - all info, programme & tickets 👇
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-Watson"Desert Future" A film screening and discussion exploring climate fiction, environmental humanities, history of science and Black/Africana studies. Part of the Edinburgh Science Festival, Friday 11 April at 7pm. www.edinburghscience.co.uk/event/desert...
- I made a book! Happy International Women’s Day!
- We're thrilled to announce that the 3rd book from the Dangerous Women Project will release in September from Edinburgh University Press. "Women Who Dared: From the Infamous to the Forgotten" is edited by @bfletcherwatson.bsky.social & @joshaw.bsky.social with a foreword by @sarasheridan.bsky.social
- Very pleased to have a chapter on theatre for young audiences in The Oxford Handbook of Scottish Theatre, which has just been published: global.oup.com/academic/pro... Huge thanks to editors Randall Stevenson and Greg Walker!
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-Watsonhello bluesky, if you have children and/or like fun music (written with and for kids) Sprog Rocks debut album BORN READY is out today. You can get it on Bandcamp (or most of the other places) sprogrock.bandcamp.com/
- Reposted by Ben Fletcher-Watson50% off our brilliant 2021 volume, "The Art of Being Dangerous", edited by @joshaw.bsky.social and @bfletcherwatson.bsky.social! Use code BOOKSALE25 to get 50% off select print books in Art. This offer is valid on online orders via www.lup.be until 28 Feb. Buy the book: lup.be/book/the-art...
