#416 – Ben Yoganathan

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This week on Stageworthy, host Phil Rickaby welcomes Ben Yoganathan, a Toronto-based actor, writer, and director whose latest work, Zeitgeist, will premiere at the 2024 Toronto Fringe Festival. In a lively and wide-ranging conversation, Ben shares the inspiration behind Zeitgeist, his theatre journey from Guelph to Toronto, his experience with unconventional venues, and his recent creation residency in Zurich. This episode dives into the highs and lows of making independent theatre and what it means to be a young artist in an overwhelming world. This episode explores:

The inspiration behind Zeitgeist and its cinematic influences
The creative process behind developing a play about navigating life in your 20s
The benefits and challenges of unconventional fringe venues
Ben’s experience at a creation residency in Zurich
Thoughts on the shifting pedagogy of theatre education
The value of Fringe festivals in building a theatre career

Guest: 🎭 Ben Yoganathan Ben Yoganthan is an actor, writer, composer, and director born in Sri Lanka and based in Toronto. Since graduating from Toronto Metropolitan University, he has performed as Hal/Henry V in Driftwood Theatre’s Henry V, Andrei in The Howland Company’s Three Sisters, and Todd Tweedle in Mixtape Project’s Dora-nominated musical Killing Time.

As a composer, Ben has contributed music to Kole Durnford's play ECHO (Edmonton Fringe Festival) and several dance works: Embrasement Synaptique by Zach Bastille (Festival Quartiers Danses), a subject by Alli Carry (Fall for Dance North), and The Skin by Emily Duckett (Kinetic Studio Open Series).

Ben has written two full-length plays: Hunger, which premiered at the Terra Firma Festival at the Theatre Centre, and ZEITGEIST, a workshop production he directed earlier this year and is set to premiere at the 2025 Toronto Fringe Festival.

He recently completed a creation residency with Experi Theater in Zurich, Switzerland, where he developed and performed a one-person show. Ben was also selected for an international residency with the Odin Teatret in Ringkobing, Denmark.