Benjamin Curns

Education

MFA, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Professional Actor Training Program

BA, SUNY Cortland

American Academy of Dramatic Art

Society of American Fight Directors

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Benjamin is a theatre artist whose previous experience includes acting (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Philadelphia Shakespeare, Elm Shakespeare, PlayMakers Rep, NBC’s ‘Quantico’; ABC’s ‘The Blacklist’), directing (Hoosier Shakespeare, Starling Shakespeare, American Shakespeare Center), teaching (Southern Connecticut State University, Mary Baldwin University Shakespeare & Performance MFA program), and fight choreography (Two River Theatre, Virginia Stage, Shakespeare Academy @Stratford). Benjamin is particularly passionate about Shakespeare and is excited by highly physical, text based, actor-centric performances. He believes the most profound element of teaching students is how the students invariably teach him as well. Benjamin is a proud member of Actors Equity and holds the rank of Advanced Actor/Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors.

Interest Areas

Shakespeare & Early Modern Drama – As a company member with the American Shakespeare Center, Benjamin performed nearly 100 roles in over 60 different productions including the title roles in Macbeth, Richard III, The Malcontent, Julius Caesar, The Revenger’s Tragedy, Henry VII, and Hamlet.

Selected Awards

• Golden Hammer Award, Certificate of Merit in Directing – Kennedy Center American College
  Theatre Festival for his production of Civil at Southern Connecticut State University.
• David Boushey Founder’s Award for Excellence in Unarmed Stage Combat – The Society of
  American Fight Directors
• Best Scene Award 2016 National Stage Combat Workshop
• David A Hammond Award for Excellence in Dramatic Art – UNC Chapel Hill

Selected Publications

“Let Hell Make Crook’d My Mind: Madness & Kingship in Richard III” Kingship, Madness, and Masculinity. Routledge 2021

“Instant Prince of Cats” The Fight Master 2014