Benedict Ayrton

Benedict Ayrton is an accomplished theatre, film, and dance-theatre artist, director, educator, and writer, currently serving as the Programme Leader for Acting at the Sharjah Performing Arts Academy (SPAA). He trained as an actor at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (London) from 1985-1988 and went on to build a varied and successful career in the performing arts.

Ben has held several prestigious positions in the UK theatre scene. He was Assistant Director at the Everyman Theatre and Salisbury Playhouse from 1989-1991 and later served as Associate Director for the Gateway and Contact Theatres from 1992-1999. From 2000 to 2004, he was the Artistic Director for Theatre Venture and later became Chief Executive for the National Association of Youth Theatres (NAYT) from 2004-2006. Ben returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in 2007 as an Associate Practitioner and in 2009 took on the role of Executive Producer for NE-Generation, the North East England cultural programme for the London 2012 Olympic Games. His outstanding contribution to the arts earned him the NCVYS Award for Arts and Culture in 2013.

In addition to his work in theatre, Ben has built a successful writing career across theatre, television, and film, working with BBC Drama, Channel 4, and a variety of independent production companies. He holds a Master’s Degree with Distinction in Creative Writing from Northumbria at Newcastle University and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in the UK.

In 2014, Ben founded his own company, State of Grace, in North East England. The company produces interdisciplinary work, offers artist training, and creates opportunities for performative expression in the UK and internationally. His international collaborations include working with renowned artists and organizations such as Robert Lepage (Ex Machina), Augusto Boal (Brazil), Teatr Piesn Kozla (Poland), Odin Teatret (Denmark), and the Freedom Theatre (Palestine), among many others across the world.

As an educator, Ben has contributed to numerous academic institutions, including Northumbria, Manchester, Durham, Teesside, Chester, and Manchester Metropolitan Universities, as well as various drama schools and colleges. His passion for teaching and training has led him to work with students and artists from diverse backgrounds, and he takes great inspiration from the people he collaborates with.

Ben feels privileged to be part of SPAA, where he continues to nurture talent and creativity, fostering an inclusive and vibrant environment for artists from around the world.

Benedict Ayrton,

Programme Leader - Acting