Ben Musgrave

Ben Musgrave is a playwright and lecturer in Scriptwriting. His work often explores memory, identity, and the legacies of colonialism, drawing on his background growing up between Bangladesh, India, and Britain. His plays include Pretend You Have Big Buildings (winner of the inaugural Bruntwood Prize), Indigo Giant (shortlisted for an Offie Award, developed with partners in Bangladesh and the UK), Crushed Shells and Mud, and a new stage adaptation of L. P. Hartley’s The Go-Between, which will tour with Eastern Angles in 2026.

He is also an established writer of audio drama: to date he has written three plays for BBC Radio 4, most recently Vital Signs (2022), and is currently under commission for a major new adaptation.

Indigo Giant has been a major interdisciplinary project, supported by a GCRF AHRC grant as well as diverse funding from other partners including Arts Council England. It was twice a finalist for Outstanding Social and Cultural Impact at UEA’s Impact Awards. Alongside his creative practice, Ben collaborates with scientists and international partners on research into indigo cultivation, soil health, and cultural memory.

At UEA, he teaches on the MA in Scriptwriting. He is especially interested in supervising PhD projects in scriptwriting, and has particular expertise in developing interdisciplinary and ambitious projects.