Ben Claus

Ben Claus

Ben Claus (they/them) is a playwright, poet & bookmaker currently located in Denver. Their plays include Mr. Kotomoto Is Definitely Not White (2019 Strawdog Theatre), P is for Pepe (2018 Chicago Fringe), and 52-Hertz (2017 DePaul University, O'Neill Conference Semi-Finalist). Ben's plays have been developed at NoMads Art Collective (which they co-founded in Chicago), Carmel Theatre Company, and...
Ben Claus (they/them) is a playwright, poet & bookmaker currently located in Denver. Their plays include Mr. Kotomoto Is Definitely Not White (2019 Strawdog Theatre), P is for Pepe (2018 Chicago Fringe), and 52-Hertz (2017 DePaul University, O'Neill Conference Semi-Finalist). Ben's plays have been developed at NoMads Art Collective (which they co-founded in Chicago), Carmel Theatre Company, and the Chagrin Academy for the Performing Arts in Cleveland. They are currently an MFA candidate at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics (Naropa University), where they teach as adjunct faculty. They graduated from The Theatre School at DePaul University in 2017 with a BFA in Playwriting / minor in Eastern Religious Studies.

Plays

  • Rez Plz by Ben Claus
    Cast: 
    6–7
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: exploring grief, world of warcraft + 4 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, science fiction
    Keyword: exploring grief, world of warcraft, being online, post-COVID, adult friendship, gender identity
    Immediately following the death of his mother, Aaron and his best friend George begin playing an online roleplaying game in order to escape their lives. Their avatars emerge from the game world to reveal truths they cannot escape - George’s newfound and growing dysmorphia, Aaron's stagnation in grief. Can the two friends remain close while still far away in a time of need? What happens when their digital...
    Immediately following the death of his mother, Aaron and his best friend George begin playing an online roleplaying game in order to escape their lives. Their avatars emerge from the game world to reveal truths they cannot escape - George’s newfound and growing dysmorphia, Aaron's stagnation in grief. Can the two friends remain close while still far away in a time of need? What happens when their digital bodies start to take on agency of their own, and do not want to be used anymore?
  • Them: A Hero's Journey by Ben Claus
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: adventure, experimental + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: genderqueer
    Genre: adventure, experimental, fable/folktale
    Keyword: genderqueer
    Gender-queer musician THEM is forced to leave home and journey into the Underworld, where they meet their grandfather and confront their family's legacy of suicide.
  • 52-Hertz by Ben Claus
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: school shooting, Buddhism
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, experimental, tragedy
    Keyword: school shooting, Buddhism
    High-school shooter "Cold-Killer" presents a show he has written to be remembered forever after-death. However, he soon realizes he is being summoned from the Tibetan Bardo by the mother of one of his victims, and his story becomes hijacked and transformed into a method for healing. 52-Hertz traces the rippling effects of failure and loneliness, and examines how we talk about tragedy in moving forward from it.
  • Mr. Kotomoto Is Definitely Not White by Ben Claus
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: capitalism and late Capitalism, Racial Injustice + 1 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, experimental, satire
    Keyword: capitalism and late Capitalism, Racial Injustice, dreams
    As Mr. Kotomoto's Teas expands to selling dreams, a manager’s offensive email forces three employees to navigate their compromised morals and changing friendships. This play examines the tenuous relationships between workers and management in the often unchanging game of capitalism.
  • P is for Pepe by Ben Claus
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, experimental + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: alt-right, Trump + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, experimental, political, satire
    Keyword: alt-right, Trump, internet, memes
    In the year 2232, a group of four children make a tape to send back to our present time, showcasing what has survived of the Alt-Right. As they wade through the absurdity of memes and /pol/, they uncover taboos that have long since been forgotten, before stumbling upon a single artifact that will change their entire understanding of history.