Co-Author/ Lyricist of “Caviar," performed at the Delacorte Theatre and on Broadway at the Ante Theatre. Author/ Lyricist of award winning plays “Looice” and “Guess Again,” performed at the Public Theatre and The First All Children’s Theatre.
Recent productions include: “The Secret of Our Souls – A Kabalistic Love Story,” performed at the Minetta Lane Theatre (FringeNYC 2009), “Jack London: His Life and Loves,” and the “The Storyteller,” produced as part of Marvell Repertory Theatre Company’s 2011-2012 Emerging Artist Series and Reading Series.
Producer, writer, director 23 short films and videos aired on Sesame Street and 3-2-1- Contact. Ben’s films and videos have been included in many festivals and shown in numerous countries around the world as well as the Museum of Modern Art. He is currently finishing a two-hour documentary film on the life of Jack London.
The period between 1890 and 1916 closely parallels our own time. The issues of the day were financial panic, exploitation by the robber barons, unemployment, child labor, homelessness, racism, immigration, the labor union movement and Socialism versus Capitalism. In the early 1900s, Jack London was not only the most popular writer in the world, but also the spearhead for much of the political and social dialogue on these matters.
My goal in creating this work is to celebrate the work of an artist, writer, photographer and political figure whose star has dimmed over the years. He is not a perfect figure and I present him "warts and all." Still, his achievements so far outweigh his deficiencies that I feel his place in literature and history need to be re-evaluated. Besides bridging the gulf between romantic and modern literature, he helped foster significant social legislation. His passionate lifestyle and work made him the template for such writers as Ernest Hemingway, Robert E. Howard, Eugene O'Neill, Jack Kerouac, and numerous others.
Today, most people remember Jack London as the author of “Call of the Wild” (which is still being reprinted in almost every language in the world). But Jack London’s work is far greater than just one book. Several of his short stories, including “The White Silence,” and to “To Light A Fire,” are among the best ever written, and his novels, “Martin Eden,” and “The Sea Wolf,” still hold their place as formidable literary achievements. His social writings, such as “War of the Classes” and “The Iron Heel,” present stirring ideas and concepts that are still relevant today. While he is considered a juvenile writer here in America, he is considered a serious political and social critic throughout Europe and Russia. Part of the reason for his diminished status in America was due to his Socialist politics, and the repression of his works during the 1950s in America.
Until recently, his photographs have been totally ignored. My intention is to give these works a chance to be seen for the great social and artistic record they are. Over the last twenty five years, I have met and spoken with many London scholars, including Russ Kingman, Sue Hodson, Jeanne Reesman, Noel Mauberret, Earle Labor, and many others. Besides reading every bit of London material I could get my hands on during that period, for the last three years I have been a reader at The Huntington Library, where I have had the privilege of pouring over Jack and Charmian London's personal correspondence, memorabilia, diaries and photographs. "Jack London:Sex, Love and Revolution" is one of a trilogy of plays (each self contained) designed to elucidate Jack’s character, lifestyle, love life and personal philosophy, and show how these reflected and conflicted with the political and social mores of his times.
Jack London is the “quintessential modern hero,” who rebels against the hypocrisy of society, and, through his own hard work, helps change it for the better. His is an inspiring tale of a child laborer and eighth grade dropout, who, through his own efforts, becomes the highest paid, most popular and most controversial author of his day. His refrain, “I’d rather be ashes than dust,” sums up his passion for life.
