Benjamin Benne (he/him) is a currently itinerant playwright from Los Angeles, who has been based in the Pacific Northwest, Midwest, and most recently the East Coast where he completed an MFA in Playwriting at the David Geffen/Yale School of Drama '22. He is a current member of the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group at Primary Stages NYC, a Playwrights' Center '23-26 Core Writer, and has been commissioned by South Coast Repertory Theatre and Seattle Repertory Theatre. He was named part of "LA Vanguardia: The Latino innovators, investigators and power players breaking through barriers" by the Los Angeles Times.
Ben's plays--including Alma (Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre, American Blues Theater, ArtsWest Playhouse, Curious Theatre Company, Central Square Theater), In His Hands (Mosaic Theater Company), and What / Washed Ashore / Astray (Pillsbury House Theatre)--feature intimate relationships grounded in emotional realism but allow environment, time, and objects to introduce aspects of the surreal, expressionistic, and absurd into the fabric of their worlds. These works center movement and sensory experiences of the human body to ask existential questions (about grief and loss, faith and the divine, mortality and the afterlife) with wit and an imagistic dramaturgy.
Ben is a recipient of Ojai Playwrights Conference's Dr. Kerry English Artist Award, Portland Stage's Clauder Competition Grand Prize, the ASCAP Cole Porter Prize in Playwriting, Arizona Theatre Company's National Latinx Playwriting Award, Kennedy Center/KCACTF Latinx Playwriting Award, American Blues Theater's Blue Ink Playwriting Award, Robert Chesley/Victor Bumbalo Playwriting Award, Playwrights' Center's McKnight Fellowship in Playwriting and Many Voices Fellowship. His plays have been developed by the Ojai Playwrights Conference, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference, The Public Theater NYC, Roundabout Theatre Company, Playwrights Realm, The Lark, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, The Old Globe, Two River Theater, Boston Court Pasadena, IAMA Theatre Company, New Harmony Project, SPACE on Ryder Farm, among many others.
He is represented by Luminosity Management and Paradigm Talent Agency. Select works available to read in full at New Play Exchange.
Ben's plays--including Alma (Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre, American Blues Theater, ArtsWest Playhouse, Curious Theatre Company, Central Square Theater), In His Hands (Mosaic Theater Company), and What / Washed Ashore / Astray (Pillsbury House Theatre)--feature intimate relationships grounded in emotional realism but allow environment, time, and objects to introduce aspects of the surreal, expressionistic, and absurd into the fabric of their worlds. These works center movement and sensory experiences of the human body to ask existential questions (about grief and loss, faith and the divine, mortality and the afterlife) with wit and an imagistic dramaturgy.
Ben is a recipient of Ojai Playwrights Conference's Dr. Kerry English Artist Award, Portland Stage's Clauder Competition Grand Prize, the ASCAP Cole Porter Prize in Playwriting, Arizona Theatre Company's National Latinx Playwriting Award, Kennedy Center/KCACTF Latinx Playwriting Award, American Blues Theater's Blue Ink Playwriting Award, Robert Chesley/Victor Bumbalo Playwriting Award, Playwrights' Center's McKnight Fellowship in Playwriting and Many Voices Fellowship. His plays have been developed by the Ojai Playwrights Conference, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference, The Public Theater NYC, Roundabout Theatre Company, Playwrights Realm, The Lark, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, The Old Globe, Two River Theater, Boston Court Pasadena, IAMA Theatre Company, New Harmony Project, SPACE on Ryder Farm, among many others.
He is represented by Luminosity Management and Paradigm Talent Agency. Select works available to read in full at New Play Exchange.
