Every so often there’s a performer who enters a profession and influences a whole generation of his peers. Actor, writer, director and comedian Ken Campbell was one such man.

Described by The Guardian newspaper as “one of the most original and unclassifiable talents in the British theatre”, Campbell was a genius at producing ground-breaking shows on impossibly low budgets. Convincing actors that his unique improvisational style was not madness but method, Campbell drove all he met to think in new ways about creativity, performance and living life to the full.

Antic Visionary: The World of Ken Campbell is a love letter from his family, friends, and many of the professional performers and storytellers he affected forever. As non-linear as the man himself, this documentary matches Campbell’s tangential view of the universe, shooting off in a multitude of directions.

Recalling first meetings and behind-the-scenes happenings actors such as Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Chris Langham, director Sir Peter Hall and scriptwriting consultant Robert McKee explain Campbell’s genius. Moments are recalled with incredible clarity, word-for-word, often with an intense Campbell impersonation to bring the memory into sharp focus.

Campbell’s road shows and unique performances will never be repeated. Whether it was the nine hour long five play cycle Illuminatus, or the world record-breaking The Warp, a 22 hour saga exploring mind-expansion, his desire to break out of convention won him fans and critics alike. But it was the fans who won out in the end.

Campbell sadly died in August 2008 at the age of 66. Antic Visionary has become a swan song for man who was impossible to put in a box.


Editor’s Pitch

Ken Campbell was a force of nature – a down to earth creative guru who stayed on the edge because that’s where he liked to be and that’s where his art had to live. Anyone who has an interest in performance – acting, stand-up comedy, theatre - and even alternative ways of learning and living, will take away something special from this film. Discovering the esteem and influence Campbell had on so many well-known actors, directors, producers and comedians is an amazing revelation.