A Room of One’s Own: Kevin Bennett
A Room of One’s Own is LMPR’s photography series that showcases the beloved spaces belonging to members of Canada’s artistic scene. With a nod to Virginia Woolf’s essay by the same name, we present self-portraits from artists, arts media, and arts administrators in a room they call their own.
This week we spoke with Kevin Bennett- a Vancouver-born director who has become renowned for intuitive, accessible, and profound stagings of classical theatre. A graduate of Studio 58, Kevin has worked as an apprentice director with Bard on the Beach and as an Assistant Director at the Stratford Festival and The Arts Club. In Vancouver, his directing credits include: Macbeth at Little Mountain Studios, The Priory with United Players, Treasure Island at Studio 58, as well as Hamlet and King Lear with The Honest Fishmongers Equity Co-op, of which he is a founding member.
Next up for Kevin is the Honest Fishmongers’ Measure for Measure – which begins previews at Pacific Theatre tonight!
This is Kevin’s room:
Q: Which room did you choose?
I live in a quaint studio apartment near Victoria Drive, so it’s more a favourite corner. My office space where I have two desks, my books, and a window which faces the North Shore mountains.
Q: What makes this room ‘yours’?
Definitely the fact that I’m surrounded by my work. When I sit here and dig into a play I’m surrounded by the inspiration of past plays I’ve directed, with posters framed on the wall and various scripts, dictionaries, history books- the list goes on- all about me. Anything that might influence my analysis of a play is in that corner of my apartment.
Q: Identify three items in the room that you love, and explain why they’re special to you.
I’d start with the three photographs of Macbeth, Hamlet, and King Lear. I fall in love with every production I direct, but I’d say that the biggest challenges for me have been the productions of Shakespeare. These are also the productions where I’ve been the most challenged and learned the most about myself.
Next on the left corner is a small card with a picture of “Balzac’s Cafe” on it. It’s a really cute little cafe I love to go to in Stratford, where I worked last year as an Assistant Director. I’m very fortunate to be a part of a program called the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction. It’s a program for new Canadian classical theatre directors to work at Stratford with some of the world’s leading directors. The card reminds me of that quaint little town and how special it is to me.
Last I’d say is all my books. I’m a big fan of the real thing (no Kobo for me). These are a variety of plays, research materials, history books, etc. They represent me and all of my work.
I guess I should also explain the protest signs on the floor: My assistant director on Measure for Measure and I painted these the night I took the photo in preparation for a PR event. We had the entire cast marched through the city of Vancouver handing out hand bills and breaking out into Shakespeare scenes to promote Measure for Measure!
The Honest Fishmongers’ Measure for Measure runs Jan. 17 – February 8 at Pacific Theatre.
Tickets & info at pacifictheatre.org.
Categories: MPMG