Background
The son of linguist David Crystal, Ben was born in Ascot, Berkshire, and grew up in Wokingham and Holyhead, North Wales. In 1999 he began to write Shakespeare"s Words: A Glossary and Language Companion, with his father, David Crystal.
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Ben Crystal
Edit ProfileEducation
He studied English Language and Linguistics at Lancaster University between 1995 and 1998, before training as an actor between 1998 and 1999. After leaving drama school he studied methods from the theatre companies Complicite and Frantic Assembly, particularly under Annabel Arden and Monika Pagneux.
Career
In 2003 he acted in the BBC1 drama series Holby City, and in 2006 appeared in the summer season at Shakespeare"s Globe. Since the publication of Shakespeare on Toast: Getting a Taste for the Bard, he has given workshops and talks on Shakespeare literature festivals at the Hay Festival of Literature and Arts, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Oxford Literary Festival, Dartington"s Ways With Words Festival, and the Cheltenham Literature Festival. In 2014 he and his theatre company (Passion in Practice) were awarded one of the inaugural Owle Schreame Awards for innovation in historical theatre, specifically for their work on original Shakespearean pronunciation in performance.
Spring Awakening: Ernst Robel (2000) - directed by Andrew Harries (Bath Royal) Rough Foreign 2: B / Ohio Impromptu: Reader (2007) - directed by Jonathon Heron (Fail Better) The Night Before Christmas: Simon Templer (2009) - directed by Robert Wolstenholme (Signal Company) King Lear: Edgar (2010) - directed by Daniel Winder (Iris Company) A Midsummer Night"s Dream: Demetrius (2011) - directed by Daniel Winder (Iris Company).
