Ben Hoover

Ben Hoover

Ben is a playwright and neuroscientist who uses methods of experimentation and collaboration to create new works for the stage. As a playwright, his work explores human consciousness (MIDLIFE: Single Carrot Theatre, June 2016; Great Plains Theatre Conference, MainStage Play, May 2016), concepts of time (PIONEER SPECIES: Columbia Stages @ The Ford Studio at the Pershing Square Signature Center, May 2016), and...
Ben is a playwright and neuroscientist who uses methods of experimentation and collaboration to create new works for the stage. As a playwright, his work explores human consciousness (MIDLIFE: Single Carrot Theatre, June 2016; Great Plains Theatre Conference, MainStage Play, May 2016), concepts of time (PIONEER SPECIES: Columbia Stages @ The Ford Studio at the Pershing Square Signature Center, May 2016), and utopian ideals of modern American cities filtered through the lens of Walt Disney (WHOLESOME: Shanghai Theatre Academy, January 2015). He has recently completed his MFA in Playwriting at Columbia University, and his plays have been presented in New York, Baltimore, Omaha, and Shanghai, China. As a theater-scientist, he is currently researching the role the brain plays during creation and contemplation of theatrical events. As a neuroscientist, he has researched treatments for Lou Gehrig’s disease, glioma cancers, and multiple sclerosis. His scientific experiments have been published in Neuron, Journal of Neurochemistry, and Journal of Neurosurgery.

Plays

  • MIDLIFE
    Becky daydreams. Becky gets fired. Becky worries that her barista's been kidnapped. Becky fears that an older woman is taking over her mind. Will Becky ever find solid ground? Experienced largely from Becky’s first-person perspective, MIDLIFE situates the audience deep inside her brain. It asks the audience to consider where the mind goes when it wanders, what it means to have agency over your actions, and...
    Becky daydreams. Becky gets fired. Becky worries that her barista's been kidnapped. Becky fears that an older woman is taking over her mind. Will Becky ever find solid ground? Experienced largely from Becky’s first-person perspective, MIDLIFE situates the audience deep inside her brain. It asks the audience to consider where the mind goes when it wanders, what it means to have agency over your actions, and encourages wonder over what goes on in other people’s heads.
  • PIONEER SPECIES
    Home from a long stint in the Amazon, Nick is sunburnt, bug-bitten, and ready for his grandmother’s pumpkin pie. But when a hunting trip goes awry, he is given no other choice but to start anew and make a family he can call his own. What does it take to survive in a forest where the trees seem more kindred than his own relatives?