Biography

Jake Benson has been working in the Arts for over 10 years. As an actor, he has appeared in various theatre and screen productions including: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Greenside, Edinburgh); Years and Years (BBC/HBO); Iqbal Khan’s Of Mice and Men (Birmingham REP/Leeds Playhouse), the BAFTA qualifying film, First Sight, and most recently, Trainspotting. Alongside this, he has provided his voice for the LEGO video game franchise; The King’s Man; and podcasts Shadows at the Door; and The NoSleep Podcast. As a writer, Jake debuted his first play How to (Politely) Dispose of One’s Mother in 2015 to a sell-out run, followed by an industry reading in London in 2023, it is now in development as a co-production with some of the UK’s major theatres. In 2021, he founded his own production company, Smoke & Shadow Productions. As of 2024, the company has five productions in development stages, 2 plays, 2 audio dramas and a short film, all with bases around the globe. Most recently, Jake is developing a new musical production which has been commissioned for development with Birmingham REP theatre. He is a frequent collaborator with Music Producer and Composer, Will Fox, the creator of Shadows at the Door, Mark Nixon, and award-winning filmmaker, Andrew McGee. Jake is a guitarist, frequently playing in London (playing several gigs at Hammersmith’s Riverside Studios) and across the UK. He is a member of the Kiln Theatre Collective, MESSY Collective and is based between Birmingham and London. He is also multi-lingual speaking English, German and French.