doollee banner
The Playwrights Database
contact doollee


Ben Kingsland

BEN KINGSLAND  

 Nationality:    USA
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    Click here

Literary Agent:    n/a

Ben Kingsland is an award-winning emerging playwright whose plays have been seen at the Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage Festival, Source Festival, Playwrights' Theatre of New Jersey, Imagination Stage, Rorschach Theatre, Olney Theater Center, active Cultures, Journeymen Theater, and many schools and community Theatres. His plays are available for purchase, publication, and instant download at www.benkingsland.com/writing, or through Heuer Publishing at www.hitplays.com.

Buy Plays with Doollee

Each page of doollee.com has links to play/book outlets, either directly to the Publisher, through Stageplays.com and Amazon to the second hand and 1st editions of AbeBooks. These links will automatically take you to the relevant area obviating the need for further search.
AbeBooks.co.uk   AbeBooks.com   Stageplays.com   amazon.com   amazon.co.uk   amazon.ca
whether you are a Playwright who wishes to make their entry definitive, an unlisted Playwright or a User with a tale to tell - we want to hear from you.
download WORD submission template

below is a list of Ben Kingsland's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Big Pool         Boxed In         Crunch Time         Dead Sexy         Deal, The         Heart Of Gold         Horseplay         My Head No Longer Hurts Because My Brain No Longer Works         Nabbed! A Hip-Hop Heist         Null         Pendulum         Regretrospective         Saab Story         Spin         there Is No Such Thing As Cold         Trash Talk         Twelve Daughters Of Hercules, The         Volga Goatman         Welcome To Tic Talk         Whiteboard, The         White-Collar Caveman

Big Pool

Synopsis:
Just because you're the same age doesn't mean you can play nice. Oliver and Colin may both be in first grade, but relations between them in the kiddie pool are definitely strained. and when Stacy shows up- and she's got a beach ball that her friend can play with- the competition between the boys gets really serious. In this primary school power play, who's going to take the ultimate step to prove themselves, and brave lifeguards and parents alike to jump in the Big Pool?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    2005

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, One-act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Boxed In

Synopsis:
It's a tough economy, and Delaney is sure her boss is planning to give her a pink slip. But her boss can't fire her if she can't find her! When Delaney decides to hide in a cardboard box in the break room until the crisis passes, it's up to her long-suffering co-worker Jill to pretend nothing's going on; which would be a lot easier if the box would stay quiet. . .

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Laurel Mill Playhouse    2009

Organisations:
Laurel Mill Playhouse

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, One-act

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Crunch Time

Synopsis:
Far underground, the nation's peanut butter pipeline is burbling along, a great network of tunnels transporting the gooey spread from state to state. But this precious natural resource comes under attack when Slovenian terrorists kidnap the beautiful scion of the Smucker's corporation and threaten to detonate a leaky nuclear warhead into the peanut butter supply unless their demands are met. Can Stacy Smucker outfox the terrorists, or are they just too nuts?

Notes:
Crunch Time won the 2009 "Best Writing" Award At the Bethesda Urban Partnership's Play in A Day contest At Imagination Stage.

1st Produced:
Imagination Stage    2009

Organisations:
Olney Theater Center

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, Ten-minute

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Dead Sexy

Synopsis:
"Love at the end of the world!" Bigman is a rich suit. Bagman is a blue-collar schlub. Zombina is a foxy lady ghoul. In this post-apocalyptic love triangle, losing the girl means heartbreak, but getting her might mean dismemberment. What's a red-blooded boy to do?

Notes:
This zombie love story, written in partnership with DC choreographer Melissa Bustamante, is told through dance And movement with minimal dialogue.

1st Produced:
SOURCe    2009

Organisations:
SOURCe Festival

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Movement theater, Ten-Minute

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Deal, The

Synopsis:
the greatest, shadiest real estate deal in history, in five minutes! It's Glengarry Glen Ross in the 1600s, as a fast-talking pilgrim plays hardball with a skeptical Native American realtor for a piece of the New World.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Laurel Mill Playhouse    2010

Organisations:
Laurel Mill Playhouse

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
comedy ten Min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  2

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Heart Of Gold

Synopsis:
Donna Dune is a second-tier Food Network celebrity who finds herself in sudden need of a PR facelift. To prove to the world how warm-hearted she is, she decides to open up an orphanage- the Donna Dune Happy Rooms Culinary Orphanage for Girls and Boys. Donna's about as maternal as scalded milk, and her assistants Leighann and Sprite know it, but it's up to them to put this terrible idea into practice or Donna will flay them alive. the crafty assistants hatch a plot to contain their boss without losing their jobs; and it's foolproof, as long as no orphans actually show up. . .

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage Festival    2010

Organisations:
Playwrights' Gymnasium

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, Full-length

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Horseplay

Synopsis:
Jousting is the state sport of Maryland. a reporter from the Baltimore Sun ordered to cover a bewildering bit of state trivia is dreading the assignment; after all, who cares that a few eccentrics in Maryland are still jousting in the 21st century? But when it comes out that the local jousting association has more intrigue than a medieval court, she's suddenly got all the story than she can handle.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
active Cultures    2010

Organisations:
active Cultures

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
comedy ten Min

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  2            Other:  1

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

My Head No Longer Hurts Because My Brain No Longer Works

Synopsis:
a hilarious look at the evolution of human stupidity and how technology, from writing to the printing press to Google, has helped our lives get easier and our brains get dumber. Jay lives his life online, and couldn't be happier to have a computer do his thinking for him. Suddenly, Google comes literally knocking at his door with a job offer and a bag of cookies, and the two are off on a mysterious road trip. as they travel, we detour through time to the inventions that changed our thinking, and the smart people who hated them. When Jay is forced to take a side in the struggle to remake the brain forever, who will he fight for; the old and the slow, or the quick and the dumb? Five actors play more than twenty characters in this fast-paced comedy.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, Full-length

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Nabbed! A Hip-Hop Heist

Synopsis:
Oh snap! Thieves have cleaned out the art museum, and Detective Gristle has 48 hours to figure out whodunit. But this case won't be easy; Commissioner Bonbon is breathing down his neck; the museum curator thinks he's an uncultured pig; and his new police dog, K-8, was held back a grade in obedience school. as Gristle and his partner investigate the colorful world of street art for the missing masterpieces, the only things they're sure to find are surprises. Famous paintings and graffiti come to life in this positive musical mystery for student actors, filled with comedy, dance, rap, and more twists than an M.C. escher painting. Features original music.

Notes:
Commissioned And first produced by Synetic Family theatre.

1st Produced:
Synetic Family Theatre Summer Camp    2010

Organisations:
Synetic Family Theatre

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, Musical, Mystery, Young actors

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  30+

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Null

Synopsis:
It's 1733, and Hamilton Runcibald Cavender IV is having a bad day. Months of research into phlogiston- the mysterious substance that determines whether or not something can catch fire- have proved fruitless. But natural philosophers the world over know that phlogiston is as real as ether, and Hamilton will be the laughingstock of L'academie anglaise if he dares to suggest otherwise. When his wife brings a fresh pair of eyes into the laboratory, however, everything changes. Is science about proving what you 'know' is true; or paying attention to the data- and the people- in front of your eyes?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage Festival    2010

Organisations:
Playwrights' Gymnasium

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, Ten-Minute

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Pendulum

Synopsis:
What do you do with a B.a. in english? In this parallel universe, the sky's the limit- it's doctors, lawyers, and everyone else who went to trade school who has to struggle to make ends meet. Sam is the archetypical 'starving doctor,' fresh out of med school with a fancy degree, lots of loans, and no job prospects- a fact his artistic family isn't about to let him forget. But when he befriends a struggling young corporate lawyer, they start looking for a way to fight back against this bohemian paradise. they wind up turning to politics, and pin all their hopes on an unexpected presidential candidate with a message of change. Can a handful of people make the pendulum swing? Can a nation's priorities change? and is all change created equal?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Olney Theatre Center    2009

Organisations:
National Players

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, Dramedy, Sci-Fi, Full-length

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Regretrospective

Synopsis:
Zachary Fisher-Hothouse has been dumped! the emo prince keeps his wounds well-salted by chronicling every moment of his defunct two-hundred-day romance with Sandra Beall. Teen angst? Real grief? Both? It's up to his friend Kate to find out and snap him out of his 'regretrospective;' but Zachary certainly won't go quietly.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, One-act

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Saab Story

Synopsis:
2004: Connor Bailey wants to be rich. as the lowest lawyer on the ladder at his firm, he's itching for a chance to live large with the senior partners. He finally gets his chance to show off when Mr. Bugle invites him and his fiancee to a weekend retreat with the big boys. the only problem is, he hasn't got a fiancee, or anything else to show off; just a blind date and a poop-brown Saab. With the deck stacked against him, impressing the partners will take a Columbus Day miracle. . .What does it take to get up to the upper crust? When most of the country's wealth trickles down, how do you get to be the one who pours?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Witness Theater    2005

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, One-act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Spin

Synopsis:
For generations, the Simonson family have proudly strapped sandwich boards around their necks and stood on sidewalks, living advertisements for businesses of all kinds. Suzy Debbie and Molly Sally have raised their nephew in the family trade, just like his parents would have wanted. But when young Zeke decides to try his hand at some of that new-fangled sign-spinning, will generational warfare tear the family apart? all signs point to yes. . .

Notes:
Spin won the 2010 "Best Writing" And "Best Overall Play" Awards At the Bethesda Urban Partnership's Play in A Day contest At Imagination Stage.

1st Produced:
Imagination Stage    2010

Organisations:
Olney Theater Center

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, Ten-minute

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

there Is No Such Thing As Cold

Synopsis:
Does having poor circulation make you an evil person? a Discovery Channel-inspired revelation is keeping Maggie up at night. Can a sleepy husband and a willful cat help her find some peace- or are there some problems pillow talk can't solve?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Laurel Mill Playhouse    2010

Organisations:
Laurel Mill Playhouse

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
comedy ten Min

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  1

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Trash Talk

Synopsis:
the trash can and the recycling bin can't stand each other. Waiting by the curb for pickup on a hot summer morning, the long-suffering can and the self-righteous bin butt heads about everything under the sun. Can they learn to live and let live before the trash truck comes?

Notes:
part of It's Not easy Being Green

1st Produced:
DC Capitol Fringe Festival    2009

Organisations:
Journeyman Theatre Company

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
comedy ten Min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  2

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Twelve Daughters Of Hercules, The

Synopsis:
the mighty Hercules is now a family man, with a house full of twelve daughters, but no heroic son to carry on the family business. When an adventure comes to his doorstep, Hercules kisses the family goodbye and sets off, just like the old days. But as soon as the over-the-hill hero leaves, monsters from his past come after his family! It's up to the twelve daughters of Hercules-from the gentle Phoebe to the rebellious Demostrate to the neurotic eunike-to learn for themselves how to be heroes. Do they have what it takes to save their family, and prove to their dad that girls can kick butt too?This original story takes the world of the Greek Myths and turns it up to eleven, with electric lyres, swaggering centaurs, magic, and cameos from theseus, Homer, and a slew of other true-to-mythology characters. a great showcase for a ensemble of teen actors.

Notes:
Supported by A grant from the Arts And Humanities Council of Montgomery County, MD.

1st Produced:
Richard Montgomery HS    2010

Organisations:
Richard Montgomery HS

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, action, Young actors

Parts:
Male:  7+            Female:  16+            Other:  7+

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Volga Goatman

Synopsis:
It's 1919 in Uglich, a city on the Volga River that's just as pretty as it sounds. Two Russian laundresses tell a wide-eyed American exchange student tales of a mysterious Goat-man, who makes mischief up and down the river. It's all fun and games, until a strange man shows up and the Volga mischief starts getting closer to home. Funny how the Goat-man always seems to target tourists. . .

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Rorschach Theatre MYTH-appropriation series    2009

Organisations:
Rorschach Theatre

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, Ten-minute

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Welcome To Tic Talk

Synopsis:
Donald M. Wicker, a historian on a whirlwind book tour, shows up an TV studio to promote his new book, just like his agent told him to. But the world has more than one Don Wicker, and a mix-up got this one booked on the wrong show! "Tic Talk" (the only weekly forum that asks 'What makes you tic?') isn't exactly the venue for Wicker's book about blacklisted dentists in the McCarthy years; and the fact that he's the only person on set without a healthy tic makes him stick out even more. Should he play along? Run for the hills? Can he extricate himself from the live show without offending everyone in the world with a movement disorder? and what's he in for when the host decides to turn the scheduling mistake into a teachable moment? This good-natured script is a great showcase for physical comedy.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, Ten-minute

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  4

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Whiteboard, The

Synopsis:
Dirty dishes- empty juice cartons in the fridge- late rent checks- unruly pets. Watch them go from minor gripes to unforgivable sins with the stroke of a dry erase marker! College friends find that the only thing harder than living together is talking to each other. Is life without a whiteboard possible?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Theater on the Hill    2007

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, Full-length

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

White-Collar Caveman

Synopsis:
Gary is a family man with a normal suburban life. Things take a sharp turn for the abnormal, however, when he and his daughter catch a pair of cavemen on the lawn- and one of them is a friend from Gary's more radical past! the urbane savages live in White Hills state park, where they forage, stalk geese, and enjoy the simple triumphs of the simple life. as his daughter becomes fascinated with the state-of-nature lifestyle, Gary has to fight to keep her normal as he wrestles with his past, and what his life may be missing after twenty years of safe choices. Is life in the mainstream meaningful? Is life on the fringe feasible? there are no easy answers in this off-beat satire, full of twists and surprises.

Notes:
First produced under the title "Whitehill."

1st Produced:
Witness theater    2006

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy, Full-length

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page