The Corona Diaries: Benjamin Yates

These recent times have been some of the hardest challenges we've faced and as a community, it hit us pretty hard. However during these difficult times, here at Pocket Size Theatre, we wanted to spread a little positivity and share some peoples experiences because we are all in this together. Each day we'll be speaking to our friends in the industry to share their experiences with you all so take a read and see how people are getting through these hard times.

Let's stick together, share the love and get through this as a community!

*Some information mentioned in this article may be out of date due to the progress of the current situation. Please keep that in mind when reading* 

Benjamin Yates was most recently seen in the closing company of School of Rock at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. His other credits include Ensemble/1st cover Fiyero in Wicked (UK tour); Understudy Jack/White Knight in Wonderland (UK tour); Riff and Understudy Tony in West Side Story (Kilworth House Theatre); Mungojerrie in Cats (The London Palladium/UK and European tour); Tommy the Musical (Blackpool Winter Garden); Jesus Christ Superstar (Really Useful Group world arena tour); Sonny in Grease (Ljubljana Festival) and Aladdin in Aladdin (Loughborough Town Hall Theatre).

Can you tell us anything productive you’ve been doing?

I wish I could sit and reel off a huge long list of wonderful new talents that I have learnt over the last 8 weeks but I just haven’t. I have tried really hard to be focused and productive, I am really into fitness and a bit of an exercise addict, so I have been utilising the skills off all my wonderful friends offering their free Instagram live workout. I have also been running Musical workshops over Zoom every week.

Whenever you log onto social media there is so much negativity circulating. How have you been trying to keep a positive mental attitude during these times?

So I LOVE facts. I try and have as much knowledge on this pandemic as I possibly can by watching the news and the daily updates on BBC purely so I can make a clear judgment and form an educated opinion. There is so much negativity out there and a lot of it isn’t based on any facts, so I just have to tell myself “it’s only an opinion” and understand everyone is frustrated right now. Social media is a wonderful and terrible thing!

DREAM CASTING: Hercules the Musical!

Hercules | Oliver Savile

Young Hercules | Benjamin Yates 

Phil | Michael Matus 

WICKED announces full cast for UK & Ireland Tour

WICKED, the West End and Broadway musical phenomenon that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, is delighted to announce that Amy Ross (Elphaba), Helen Woolf(Glinda), Steven Pinder (The Wizard and Doctor Dillamond), Kim Ismay (Madame Morrible), Emily Shaw (Nessarose), Iddon Jones (Boq) and Nikki Bentley (Standby for Elphaba) will join the previously announced Aaron Sidwell (Fiyero) to lead the cast of the forthcoming return engagement of the spectacular, critically acclaimed and multi record-breaking UK & Ireland Tour in 2018.

Amy Ross (Elphaba) has most recently been starring as ‘Nicola’ in the hit musical Kinky Bootsin the West End. She previously appeared in Sunny Afternoon, playing ‘Joyce’, at both the Hampstead Theatre and in the West End; Helen Woolf (Glinda) has most recently been appearing in the London production of WICKED and was also part of the original 2013 UK & Ireland Tour company. She has played the role of ‘Glinda’ on many occasions; Aaron Sidwell(Fiyero) has just finished playing ‘Steven Beale’ in the BBC’s EastEnders, a role he originally played in 2007/08. His many acclaimed musical theatre appearances include Grey Gardens(Southwark Playhouse), American Idiot (Arts Theatre, London) and the leading role of ‘Michael Dork’ in Loserville The Musical (West Yorkshire Playhouse and in the West End); still best remembered as ‘Max Farnham’ in Brookside, Steven Pinder (The Wizard and Doctor Dillamond) starred in the UK & Ireland Tour (joining in 2014) and on the International Tour of WICKED. He also played Doctor Dillamond in the West End. Kim Ismay (Madame Morrible), Emily Shaw (Nessarose) and Iddon Jones (Boq) all recently starred in the International Tour of WICKED; Nikki Bentley (Standby for Elphaba) has recently appeared in the Asian Tour ofGhost The Musical, the UK & Ireland Tour of Shrek the Musical and in Monty Python’s Spamalot in the West End.