While Ben has written in a variety of formats over the years (including putting in a 15+ year career as a technical writer, 10 years in editorial positions, and at least 5 of those as an instructional designer), writing for the stage is where he truly shines. What started as a whim based on a, frankly, kind of dumb idea to write a bog-standard parlor room farce with a zombie substituted for a character surrounded by selfish, vapid, idiots (the published and twice-produced The Importance of Eating Earnest) turned into a passion for playwriting.

Since then, he’s written for numerous 24 hour play festivals and managed to win a few, written several shorts for live audiences, and had a collection of short works put together for a “Magical Evening of Magical Theater Magic.” His current works can also be found on New Play Exchange.

(To produce The Importance of Eating Earnest or “Black,” complete the Next Stage Press form for performance license requests. All other works listed here currently require no license: contact Ben directly for production copies.)

A Magical Night of Magical Theater Magic: Collected Short Works of Ben Plopper

(Produced in 2019 by Company OnStage as part of the Local Author Series, Ex-Pat Edition, directed by Jonathan Moonen)

A magical janitor with a drinking problem guides the audience on a journey through the creative mind of a playwright who is clearly way up his own… uh… ego. Includes the following short plays.

• “A Fistful of Sorrows” – God and the Devil ante up in a poker game in the wild west to test the faithfulness of a simple rancher when set up by all manner of sorrows. Can the Devil win this time? (5M, 1F – Flexible)

• “An Atheist, A Christan, and a Jew Walk Into The Apocalypse” – Wellp, the world is ending in Biblical fire. Three friends of different philosophical viewpoints each argue their viewpoints on the apocalypse while they stick their heads between their legs and kiss their asses goodbye (metaphorically, although this writer won’t stop you from staging it literally if you want to). Will they end up in the Plain of Whips and Knives? (2M, 1F – Flexible)
• “Dogs in the Garden” – Two Dogs debate the temptation of eating the craps from their master’s table that he so carelessly throws in the trash. Will a sandpaper-tongued Cat convince one of them to knock the trash over for the forbidden feast? (2M, 1F)
• “A Very British Farce in which Everything is resolved in a Reasonable Manner” – Comedic misunderstanding is averted by people behaving reasonably. (2M, 1F)
• “The Happiest of Meals” – Salvation comes in many forms. In this case, it comes in a gruesome discovery with a kid’s meal that is legally distinct from a large fast-food chain’s trademarked kids’ meals. (2M, 2F – Flexible)
• “A Southern Gothic Tragedy in which Tragedy is Averted” – Will the lady of the manor face tragedy when her secret paramour is asked to deliver a letter to her true love? No, because her paramour isn’t a jerk. (1M, 1F)
• “A Horror Story in which Sensible Decisions are Made” – When the creepy butler says to the in-home nurse “don’t go in the basement,” she listens because she is a professional. Special cameo mention of the Plain of Whips and Knives. (1M, 1F, 1 HORRIBLE DEMON SHADOW CREATURE)
• “Black” (from 64 Squares, published by Next Stage Press)
• A scene from The Importance of Eating Earnest

Shorts

“Rosemary’s Teenager” (Produced 2016 as part of Cone Man Running’s annualish “Spontaneous Smattering” 24-Hour Play Festival; Winner, Best Script) – The Antichrist is turning 13 and is ready to raise Hell as his father continues to fume about his wife’s infidelity with Satan. Will Damien move to ascend to his throne above the ruins of mankind, or will he actually talk to his crush, the little Japanese ghost next door with the long black hair and ability to kill with a cryptic text message?
(2M, 1F)

“The Philosophy of the Infinite Heart” (Produced 2015, directed by Christine Weems for Queensbury Theater, Houston, TX) – Two friends gaze at the stars on a clear night, contemplating relationships, friendships, fidelity, and the nature of the universe.
(1M, 1F)

“Your Mom” (Produced 2015 as part of Cone Man Running’s annualish “Spontaneous Smattering” 24-Hour Play Festival; Winner, Best in Show) – Foul-mouthed Timmy loves nothing more than playing online games and taunting his opponents with claims of matriarchal sexual conquest. His mom’s new boyfriend might be a problem in more ways than just IRL.
(2M, 2F)

“Armageddon Tired of All These Zombies” (Produced 2012 and directed by Leighza Walker for Obsidian Theater as part of “…And I Feel Fine: End of the World Shorts for 2012”; Originally produced 2012 as part of Cone Man Running’s annualish “Spontaneous Smattering” 24-Hour Play Festival; Winner, Best in Show) – Kevin, Karen, and Julie are survivors of a zombie apocalypse. Kevin may well be the last man on Earth, and Karen and Julie both vie to not be the one to help him repopulate humanity.
(1M, 2F)

In Development

Audio Drama

• WTTN Presents: Tales of Suspense and Terror – An audio drama series that transports listeners back to the golden age of radio drama. WTTN is a popular radio station in The City, providing news and entertainment to a wide audience. Recently, the station has changed management and the transition has been… odd. The station’s regular cadre of actors – Chet, Dianne, Mary, Eddie, Herbie, and Sophia – have noticed that not everything is running as smoothly as before. Where did the writers go? Who is Richard, the new station manager and why does he seem to know so much about each of them? What are these other stations that have begun to bleed over into WTTN’s frequency?

Plays

• He Summons His Muse – How far would you go to reclaim former glory? Shane’s artistic career peaked years ago, and he fears – like all creatives – that his lake of creativity has fully dried up. Having turned into an alcoholic shut-in. During an attempt to paint, Shane appears to accidentally summon an ancient muse named Mel. Indeed, Mel seems to restore Shane’s inspiration, but it quickly becomes clear that there is a cost. Mel is not what she claims to be, and may be something far more sinister and terrifying than a mere Greek demi-goddess. Running time: 90+ minutes.
  (2M, 3F, 1NB)
• The Time I Accidentally Started a Sex Cult – Courtney is in a rough spot. She’s an out-of-work Licensed Professional Counselor in a difficult job market, and her motivation to get back to therapy is plunging faster than a… thing that plunges. Plunger? In an effort to set up an online therapy business, the ever naïve Courtney sets up her online shop on a platform that she believes will help her reach potential clients on her own terms: OnlyFans. Not realizing that OF is, well, mostly used for other professional services, Courtney begins offering therapy to people struggling with intimacy issues. Through a series of miscommunications, her general ignorance, and saying the right things in the wrong ways, Courtney may have started a sex cult. Oops. Running time: 90+ minutes.
  (3M, 2-3F)
• Bury Me in My Red Hat – Kelly and Lucas Devlin have come together after the death of their father to sort through his possessions prior to organizing an estate sale. After their mothing dies ten years earlier, their father had gone from a generally kind, if not slightly conservative father, down the rabbit hole of conservatism and the MAGA movement. Kelly and Lucas, both liberal Democrats, each dealt with their father differently. Kelly cut him off completely while Lucas tried, unsuccessfully, to bring his father back to the man he once was. Now they sift through memories of the man he was and the man he became, and try to reconcile their responses to his change. Running time: ~30 minutes.
  (1M, 1F)
• Far From Wonderful – One Christmas Eve, George Bailey was shown a world where he had never existed. His story ended when the darkness of the other world – the world of Pottersville – convinced him that his life was, indeed, Wonderful. This story is not about his life. Far From Wonderful tells the story of what happens in Pottersville after George has left it. Bert the Cop is investigating a string of grizzly and inhuman murders that all seem to center on those Pottersville residents who interacted with George Bailey that Christmas Eve. Who, or what, is hunting them, apparently intent on cleaning up a world that should not exist. Running time: 90+ minutes.
  (6-8M, 2F)
• Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Board – Homeowner Associations. HOA meetings. Is anything more like Hell on Earth? Well, in this case, that’s pretty literal! Meet nine strangers – seven residents and two “authorities” – who come together to elect a new HOA board president. Only it seems like something has happened and maybe this is more of a Dante’s Inferno meets Charlie and the Chocolate Factory morality play. Are all these seven idiots actually dead? Do the seven residents represent the seven deadly sins? Is the community manager actually an angel and the community courtesy patrol officer actually a demon? Spoiler alert: The answer is a resounding “yes!” But seven of the participants are completely clueless as to the supernatural shenanigans going on around their possible redemption arc. Running time: 90+ minutes.
  (5M, 4F)