Ben Holbrook

Ben Holbrook

Ben Holbrook is a Brooklyn-based (originally from NC) playwright and filmmaker whose works have been produced, developed, or commissioned by: Fundamental Theater Project, Ruddy Productions, The New York International Fringe Festival, The Memphis Fringe Festival, The Motor Company, Wildwind Performance Lab, Voices of the South (TN), Ugly Rhino(LA), Seoul Players (SK), Holiday House, Find the Light (LA), The...
Ben Holbrook is a Brooklyn-based (originally from NC) playwright and filmmaker whose works have been produced, developed, or commissioned by: Fundamental Theater Project, Ruddy Productions, The New York International Fringe Festival, The Memphis Fringe Festival, The Motor Company, Wildwind Performance Lab, Voices of the South (TN), Ugly Rhino(LA), Seoul Players (SK), Holiday House, Find the Light (LA), The Irish Arts Council, 45th Street Block Association, and Paper Lantern Theatre Company (NC). His films have been seen at the Big Apple Film Festival, The Imaginarium Convention, The Comedy of Horrors Festival, The Sickest Short Films Festival, and The Films Open Mic Festival. He’s been awarded the Edward Albee Foundation fellowship, the Drama League Rough Draft Residency (partnering with Sam Underwood), Fresh Ground Pepper’s Playground Playgroup Residency, The New Concepts Theatre Lab at UNC-Greensboro, Magic Time at Judson Church, and is the inaugural recipient of the Peter Shaffer Award for Excellence in Playwriting.

Also a budding futurist, Ben enjoys exploring our futures from a mythological perspective in his writing, but has also worked with Extrapolation Factory, a designed based research studio for participatory futures studies, to create pieces for Ikea’s Space 10, The Ford Motor Company, and Walker Art Center. Ben is the co-owner of Full Metal Workshop, an LLC that creates web based experiences, both original and for clients.

Plays

  • User Agreement by Ben Holbrook
    Cast: 
    5–7
    ·
    Genre: drama, political + 1 more
    Genre: drama, political, science fiction
    Set in the near future. Sy and Theo, two souls, potentially soul mates, attempt to navigate their bond in a world enhanced by the wonders of technology, AI, and the occasional talking octopus. Building a relationship based on good music, deep conversation, and strong boundaries feels natural to them, but their beautiful bond finds itself struggling against a world turned upside down by the demons of human...
    Set in the near future. Sy and Theo, two souls, potentially soul mates, attempt to navigate their bond in a world enhanced by the wonders of technology, AI, and the occasional talking octopus. Building a relationship based on good music, deep conversation, and strong boundaries feels natural to them, but their beautiful bond finds itself struggling against a world turned upside down by the demons of human nature and the need for capital, causing them to wonder if, in a society designed to be more complex and visible than ever, it is possible for two simple souls to truly connect.
  • Ghost on the Black Gulf by Ben Holbrook
    Cast: 
    6–10
    ·
    Genre: drama, fable/folktale + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: Big Oil, climate change + 8 more
    Genre: drama, fable/folktale, fantasy, horror, political, tragedy
    Keyword: Big Oil, climate change, climate crisis, Oil Spill, environmental activism, southern gothic, social justice, ghost story, American history, southern
    It’s 2010 on the Mississippi coast and Aenid, her son, Percy, and her adopted mother Mémé find their entire way of life disrupted by the oil spill that poisons everything it touches. Aenid adapts, establishing a pirate radio station to help rally her community during the day, while Percy cares for the oil covered wildlife that routinely washes up on their shores at night, until one night, Percy pulls an...
    It’s 2010 on the Mississippi coast and Aenid, her son, Percy, and her adopted mother Mémé find their entire way of life disrupted by the oil spill that poisons everything it touches. Aenid adapts, establishing a pirate radio station to help rally her community during the day, while Percy cares for the oil covered wildlife that routinely washes up on their shores at night, until one night, Percy pulls an unexpected oil covered being from the gulf, a beautiful ghost. Soon, insurmountable forces, both natural and unnatural, seep into their lives, in this meditation on family, greed, social structures, and subversion.
  • Goddess of the Wine Dark Sea by Ben Holbrook
    Cast: 
    5–15
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama + 5 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, fantasy, period, political, tragedy, verse
    ” I’d like to tell you another tale of love and war and the struggles we mortals must suffer through. This time, it’s Achilles, the Goddess born son of the sea, rolling in the night with his lovers Patroclus and Briseis, as the Trojan War rages on outside of their camp. When the war, however, forces Achilles into the light, he and soon she, must decide for herself, her place and legacy in this vast time fluid,...
    ” I’d like to tell you another tale of love and war and the struggles we mortals must suffer through. This time, it’s Achilles, the Goddess born son of the sea, rolling in the night with his lovers Patroclus and Briseis, as the Trojan War rages on outside of their camp. When the war, however, forces Achilles into the light, he and soon she, must decide for herself, her place and legacy in this vast time fluid, gender fluid, sexuality fluid world of gods and monsters.” -Tiresias
    "Goddess of the Wine Dark Sea" is a meditation on ego, social responsibility, and rebirth. I encourage people to read it aloud, as the verse moves far more quickly and naturally than people assume.
  • Oracular Recall by Ben Holbrook
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3–9
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: contemporary social issues, food + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, experimental, fantasy, immersive, musical, political, science fiction
    Keyword: contemporary social issues, food, culinary, gentrification, climate change, nostalgia, community
    Join 3 divine sisters as they embody several generations, all observing this moment in time from the past, present, and future, while the audience samples dishes and herbs, which provoke their memories. Over the corse of 25 minutes, they playfully examine gentrification, climate change, and learning to love problematic loved ones in this meditation on time, community, our senses, and changing perspectives....
    Join 3 divine sisters as they embody several generations, all observing this moment in time from the past, present, and future, while the audience samples dishes and herbs, which provoke their memories. Over the corse of 25 minutes, they playfully examine gentrification, climate change, and learning to love problematic loved ones in this meditation on time, community, our senses, and changing perspectives.
    Oracular Recall made it's debut at the 2019 Communal Spaces Festival in NYC.
  • Chemistry by Ben Holbrook
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: chemistry, love + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: chemistry, love, asexuality, urban
    Jojo has a new job! She's taken it upon herself to memorize and deliver messages in her cozy Brooklyn neighborhood. One message, however, finds her engaging in a fascinating conversation with Thad, which ranges from love, to sex, to chemicals, in this short one act.
  • The Men's Room by Ben Holbrook
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, political
    ·
    Keyword: Race, racism + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, political
    Keyword: Race, racism, metoo, sexual harassment, feminist, gay
    Eli just wants to practice his presentation and use the bathroom in peace, but his colleague, Bill, insists on engaging him in a conversation which takes a very uncomfortable turn, very quickly. "The Men's Room", is a comedic meditation on the changing roles of men within our society and what happens when you confront uncomfortable topics head on. 30 minute one act.
  • The Whale and the Dog Star by Ben Holbrook
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    5–6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: death and grief, accepting death + 8 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, fantasy, musical, science fiction, tragedy
    Keyword: death and grief, accepting death, science, astronomy, astronaut, female scientist, scientists, dreams, family, dysfunctional family
    "The Whale and the Dog Star", a quirky, fantastical and poignant exploration of grief, dreams, and family, follows
    Henry, an astronomer who, upon learning of his wife's deadly illness, seemingly abandons all logic, refusing to visit her in the hospital and choosing, instead, to revisit an old, forgotten project; searching for a whale that NASA once launched into space and then promptly...
    "The Whale and the Dog Star", a quirky, fantastical and poignant exploration of grief, dreams, and family, follows
    Henry, an astronomer who, upon learning of his wife's deadly illness, seemingly abandons all logic, refusing to visit her in the hospital and choosing, instead, to revisit an old, forgotten project; searching for a whale that NASA once launched into space and then promptly forgot about. His colleagues, Martin, Marie and Selma, all brilliant scientists, and their quick witted janitor, Waldy, all play along, at first, but their dysfunctional relationships and lack of funding soon turn their lab into a powder keg, which, inevitably, explodes. The resulting actions find the entire lab at each other's throats (some literally), making heart breaking revelations, and abandoning their homes to play sleepover, all leading to a stunning conclusion.
  • Sinners on a Southbound Bus by Ben Holbrook
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    6–8
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: southern, American South + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, immersive, mystery/thriller, political, tragedy
    Keyword: southern, American South, crime, southern gothic, Alabama, religion
    Set during a late night bus ride on a warm, misty Alabama night, "Sinners on a Southbound Bus" is a dramatic/comedic meditation on fear, morality, and the ghosts we leave behind.
    When Trudy, a quick-thinking young woman, finds herself in the presence of the rash, charismatic Morgan and his more stoic associate, Silas, she sees an opportunity to alleviate some of her boredom on the long, hot bus...
    Set during a late night bus ride on a warm, misty Alabama night, "Sinners on a Southbound Bus" is a dramatic/comedic meditation on fear, morality, and the ghosts we leave behind.
    When Trudy, a quick-thinking young woman, finds herself in the presence of the rash, charismatic Morgan and his more stoic associate, Silas, she sees an opportunity to alleviate some of her boredom on the long, hot bus ride to Dothan.
    The pleasant conversation, however, takes an ominous turn after an encounter with the police reveals that the two men share a dark, potentially violent secret, which could place every passenger in danger. Trudy, nevertheless, still sees the good in Morgan and, through their budding friendship, finds a connection that forces him to face demons that make every mile more dangerous and every confrontation more volatile, as they head towards their inevitable destination. A full length play in one act.