The Story Behind the Photo – Part 2

Sylvie Drake, the longtime theatre critic of the Los Angeles Times, called Martin Benson “A Shavian master.” The Orange County Register once called George Bernard Shaw “Benson’s old pal” in a headline chronicling Benson’s 2010 direction of Misalliance.

The SCR Founding Artistic Director directed seven productions of the classic playwright’s works between 1983’s Major Barbara (the first of two productions of that work) and 2010’s Misalliance (the second of two productions of that work).

Benson’s admiration of his “pal” began when he was a student at San Francisco State, when he played Bill Walker in Major Barbara. After he got the “directorial itch,” as he calls it, Benson helmed a community theatre production of that work. After Candida (1966) and Arms and The Man (1967)—directed by SCR Founding Artistic Director David Emmes—Major Barbara became the third of 13 Shaw productions at SCR.

After Major Barbara in 1983, Benson directed the first Misalliance (1987), Man and Superman (1990), Heartbreak House (1991), Arms and The Man (1996), the second Major Barbara (2002) and the second Misalliance (2010). Benson earned four LA Drama Critics Circle awards for his Shaw direction and garnered critical recognition from the Times for tackling the Herculean Man and Superman, which checks in at three-hours, 15-minutes.

Charles McNulty, the current Los Angeles Times theatre critic, called Benson’s direction of Misalliance “graceful.”

The first photo is of Kirsten Potter and Wyatt Fenner from the 2010 production of Misalliance. Ralph Funicello designed the set, Maggie Morgan designed the costumes, Tom Ruzika was the lighting designer, Michael Roth was the musical director and Oanh Nguyen was the associate director. The second photo is of Leo Marks and Nike Doukas from the 2002 production of Major Barbara. Funicello designed the set, Shigeru Yaji designed the costumes, Chris Parry designed the lights and Karl Fredrik Lundeberg was the composer/sound designer.

So what’s the key to being a Shavian master?

“Have fun with it,” Benson said. “You have to have fun. Assume it’s a comedy with serious issues and it works. And be blessed with great actors.”