Ben Woolf is an award-winning writer and director working in TV, commercials and theatre.

As a theatre director, he has written and directed plays performed on- and off-Broadway, in the West End, the Sydney Opera House,  international festivals and in regional theatres around the UK.

He wrote and directed a series for YouTube Originals, directed documentaries for broadcasters including BBC, Channel 4 and MTV and made commercials and content for clients including FIFA, LEGO, Ben & Jerry’s, eBay, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Nokia, lastminute.com and Yahoo.

Ben studied drama at university, then trained as an Assistant Director to directors Sir Peter Hall, Peter Gill Michael Grandage, Paul Miller and Rob Ashford. Working for companies including the National Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Bush Theatre, Watermill Theatre, Theatre Royal Bath, Old Vic, Ambassador Theatre Group and Dreamworks. 

He was Associate Director of Ivanov with Kenneth Branagh, Andrea Risborough and Tom Hiddleston, Serenading Louie (both Donmar), Elling with John Simm, Sunset Boulevard (West End), Shrek the Musical (West End), The Grinning Man (BOV and West End) and The History Boys (NT and West End). He was trainee director on the Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe-winning My Week With Marilyn (Trademark Films).

As writer-director plays include: Angry Young Man, (Trafalgar Studios, Adelaide Festival) – Critics Pick in The Times, Evening Standard and METRO; Western (Wimbledon Theatre, Prague Festival, Edinburgh), Monologue for an Ensemble (Edinburgh Festival, Oman – British Council). As director, shows include The Billie Holiday Story (Charing Cross Theatre), Mojo (Underground Theatre), Festival of the Spoken Nerd (Edinburgh, Bloomsbury, Vaudeville), Twelfth Night (Alma Tavern).

Awards include Best Short Film and Young Director Award (Cannes Lions Festival), the Best International New Director (Kinsale Sharks), Best Short Film (Kinsale Sharks), Best Play and Best Show Overall (Adelaide Fringe Festival). He is the Artistic Director of the Fringe First winning MahWaff Theatre Company.

Based in London, Ben has dual UK/EU citizenship and a US (O1) work visa.