PRESS/REVIEWS
WRITING
“Playwright Ben Dudley is best-known for groan-worthy puns. They’re a hallmark of his work. But with Home, he takes on an almost Hitchcockian mantle. Home is full-on scary. Not bloody or gory. Just filled with tension and dramatic twists that are downright anxiety-producing.”
“Home, written by Ben Dudley and directed by Buz Davis, is basically a horror movie. But what makes it truly stand apart from the standard thriller or slasher is the fourth-dimensional aspect that the stage allows. […] All in all, it’s surprisingly deep and professional for a simple one-room murder mystery.”
“A raucously funny, delightfully creative look into the early days of Protestantism told via a hilarious mockumentary and produced in glorious mixed-style animation.
[The play] claims that only 26 percent of their account of history is true. But actually it’s probably much more accurate than anyone would ever care to admit.”
“Dudley marches a parade of 16th century characters forward into present, using simple but delightfully camp animation techniques that deliver gags and one-liners ripped from recent headlines.
I won’t spoil the ending, but…Here! Here! It’s a message of hope. And, with that, I can only express my own: that Ben Dudley will be back for future Fringe Fests with his humor and creativity.”
Winner of Staff Pick for Best of the 2020 Kansas City Fringe Festival
“What is fascinating about this play is how Denny comes to realize the distance between his assumptions and reality [...] The use of projections to reflect the view screen of Denny’s camera was amazingly effective, helping create some beautiful stage images, almost as if we were partially seeing into Denny’s mind. In the end, Where Edward Went is a small play with big ideas about love and the need to be connected to people and places. Don’t miss it.”
“Go: [The] play has a complex premise, some mystery and three compelling characters. Forty-five minutes was not enough time to spend with this play, and in the presence of these characters.
Unexpected: The effective use of video; how smoothly Edward appears, disappears and reappears, and how much that all makes sense, given how complex it is; the richness of the set given the flat, multipurpose role the room has for the duration of Fringe.”
“A large chunk of the Internet knows Ben Dudley as that guy who got “booped” on the forehead by a meowing cat’s paw […] but he has a lot more going for him.
Dudley is an independent writer, actor and filmmaker who specializes in witty, often awkward comedy.
Another of his comic series to garner online interest is Fetus and the God, an absurdist homespun mythology that claims every person has a brief Q&A session with God before they’re born, forgetting everything once they’re “alive.” Dudley’s illustrations are crude and elementary, simple line drawings that evoke a sense of innocence and naivety. He’s working the concept into another play.”
– Sean M. Peters, Cincinnati CityBeat article, “Internet-Famous Cat Person Pens Local Play”
Photo by Taylor Dorrell
ACTING
“Ben Dudley is flat-out hilarious as Brandon, a basil/tofu panini-loving near-virgin.”
From Samuel Brett Williams’ Revelation
From Matt Cox’s Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic
“A standout comedic performance by lead actor Ben Dudley elevated Puffs beyond glorified fan-fic...”
“Herby, played by Ben Dudley, [is] a goofy, loveable post-apocalypse child who has a fondness for the wildlife, evident by the fake deer antlers permanently affixed to his head.”
From Brant Russell’s Bankers
“Dudley gives Dave an appropriately nerdy personality, with touches of intelligence and a dash of optimism.”
From Joseph Zettelmeier’s All Childish Things
“Mostly, there were performers I'd like to see more of: […] Ben Dudley as a chirpy, know-it-all fetus in his own play, Fetus and the God.”
“Dudley plays several roles: the convention’s sound man, the husband of Laurel, and a supporter of Juliana alongside Ian. In each, he makes you laugh and feel the exasperation of dealing with Juliana and the humanity within his characters.”
From Sharr White’s The Other Place