Ben Firke

Ben Firke is a playwright, producer, and occasional performer. He is the author of the full-length plays I Am The GooseKing, Spoons, Extremely Bad Praxis, Shovels Vs. Schubert, and Mark David Chapman: Live in Concert, as well as a few dozen shorts and monologues. His work has been staged at The Tank, the Bell House, the Gene Frankel Theater (24 Bond St.), and other venues, including a biker bar and a BBQ restaurant. Firke is a co-founder of Jane Roe Presents, a production company that stages short plays and stand-up comedy to raise money for abortion funds and immigrant rights. He also wrote and performed monologues and short plays for the Tank's "Fast and Furious" show every month from 2016-2020. Firke graduated from Wesleyan University in 2012 and currently lives in Peekskill, New York...

Ben Firke is a playwright, producer, and occasional performer. He is the author of the full-length plays I Am The GooseKing, Spoons, Extremely Bad Praxis, Shovels Vs. Schubert, and Mark David Chapman: Live in Concert, as well as a few dozen shorts and monologues. His work has been staged at The Tank, the Bell House, the Gene Frankel Theater (24 Bond St.), and other venues, including a biker bar and a BBQ restaurant. Firke is a co-founder of Jane Roe Presents, a production company that stages short plays and stand-up comedy to raise money for abortion funds and immigrant rights. He also wrote and performed monologues and short plays for the Tank's "Fast and Furious" show every month from 2016-2020. Firke graduated from Wesleyan University in 2012 and currently lives in Peekskill, New York, with his wife, a freelance journalist and labor organizer.

ben.firke@gmail.com

Scripts

I AM THE GOOSEKING

by Ben Firke

3

Cast Size

4—5

Genre

dark comedy,

drama,

political,

satire

Jane Vazquez, a journalist on assignment for a tech blog, visits the small town of Gunpowder Creek, New Hampshire, to interview Phil, a young conspiracy theorist and YouTuber. In order to figure out how Phil built his following, Jane interviews him about the elaborate "vegetable conspiracy" first outlined by the mysterious (and missing) GooseKing. Jane finds herself further entangled in Phil's bizarre family...

Jane Vazquez, a journalist on assignment for a tech blog, visits the small town of Gunpowder Creek, New Hampshire, to interview Phil, a young conspiracy theorist and YouTuber. In order to figure out how Phil built his following, Jane interviews him about the elaborate "vegetable conspiracy" first outlined by the mysterious (and missing) GooseKing. Jane finds herself further entangled in Phil's bizarre family life as she gets to know his well-meaning and tenacious mother Ella, and moody, ambitious, older sister Steph. As Jane goes deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of Phil's family, she finds herself torn between journalism and activism, distance and intimacy, and ethics and empathy. The rare play that grows more relevant to its times by the hour, I AM THE GOOSEKING examines the dark world of online radicalization, the loneliness of modern life, how conspiracy theories tear families apart, and how finding the right narrative makes all the difference.

spoons

by Ben Firke

4

Cast Size

2

Genre

comedy,

drama

It’s the summer of 2016, and the gig economy has commodified everything in Brooklyn, including intimacy. Brad, a sportswriter struggling with social anxiety, retains the services of Molly, a professional cuddler with a wry bedside manner. As the two form a fragile bond over the course of their sessions, they begin to struggle with their self-imposed boundaries and their preconceived ideas about what a friendship...

It’s the summer of 2016, and the gig economy has commodified everything in Brooklyn, including intimacy. Brad, a sportswriter struggling with social anxiety, retains the services of Molly, a professional cuddler with a wry bedside manner. As the two form a fragile bond over the course of their sessions, they begin to struggle with their self-imposed boundaries and their preconceived ideas about what a friendship really is. A meditation on loneliness, recovery, and trust, spoons takes a deep dive into the chaos of seeking companionship in our lonely age.

Shovels Vs. Schubert

by Ben Firke

Cast Size

4

Genre

comedy,

dark comedy,

drama

A family's teenage son begins digging a massive hole in the backyard, with no explanation. His sister and parents try to figure out why, and to get him to stop. Mayhem ensues.