How to make an american son
by Christopher Oscar Peña
Profile Theatre, Portland, OR.
June 2023.
“Through searing humor and a stylish directorial concept, Profile Theatre’s production of Christopher Oscar Peña’s How to Make an American Son manages to punch the audience in the gut scene after scene and still leave us begging for more.
Peña’s and Villegas Randle’s deliciously original storytelling will leave you stunned, and make you rethink what you know."
Rose Wong, Willamette Weekly
i’m sorry for your trouble
by Aniello Fontana
Lee Strasberg Institute of Film & Theatre/NYU, New York, NY.
December, 2023.
DANCE NATION
by Clare Barron
NYU / Atlantic Acting School, NY , NY.
April, 2022.
hello again
by Michael John LaChiusa
The Drama League Directorfest, NY, NY.
January, 2020.
From The Drama League: “Just four actors tackle twenty characters in ten decades, exploring new possibilities in the intersections of gender, class, race, sexuality, and history. As the connections multiply and fracture before our eyes, Hello Again maps the chasm between power and intimacy, set to one of the most captivating scores of the modern era.”
WARPLAY
by JC Lee
World Premiere. New Conservatory Theatre Center, SF, CA.
June 2 - July 2, 2017.
"A dynamic world premiere .. The setting and staging by Director Ben Randle will astound you—there are great shadows cast by fathers and generals, the handing down of a massive shadowy shield, and rumbles from the distant Trojan War ... Randle is a magician."
Barry Horwitz, Theatrius
SONS OF THE PROPHET
by Stephen Karam.
Regional Premiere.New Conservatory Theatre Center, SF, CA.
November 11 - December 18, 2016.
"The reason to see Sons of the Prophet is that it is a tenderhearted, magnificently written dramedy, beautifully directed by Ben Randle, that can easily stand on its own against numerous classics of the American theatre.”
George Heymont, Huffington Post
SAGITTARIUS PONDEROSA
by MJ Kaufman.
World Premiere. New Conservatory Theatre Center, SF, CA.
January 22 - February 28, 2016.
"an original, intelligent, refreshingly open-hearted winter wonderland"
Laura Bruekner, Theater Bay Area
“The mix of identities in constant change from a forest tree to death and love potions ... Beautifully directed by Ben Randle"
Vince Media, VMedia
SALOME, DANCE FOR ME
words by trixxie carr, music by trixxie carr with Robert Mollicone
adapted from the play Salome by Oscar Wilde and opera by Richard Strauss.
World Premiere. New Conservatory Theatre Center, SF, CA.
August 8 - 29, 2015.
HANK WILLIAMS: LOST HIGHWAY
by Randal Myler and Mark Harelik. Douglas Morrison Theatre, Hayward, CA.
April 16 - 26, 2015.
Shakespeare's R&J
by Joe Calarco. New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco.
November 7 - December 14, 2014.
“By setting this tale of discovery and delight amidst a dangerous world of repression, Randle and this production continue NCTC’s commitment to plays that champion social justice and a shared humanity.”
Tony Frankel, Stage and Cinema
Pansy
by Evan Johnson in Collaboration with Ben Randle. New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco.
World Premiere. June 14-29, 2013.
“ It’s the story of a disaffected twentysomething gay man who discovers a cache of videocassettes in the basement of his SF apartment building — made by someone who could be considered his doppelganger, a club kid long since felled by AIDS. The play functions in part as a communion between a younger generation of queer San Franciscans and the early era of the AIDS crisis.”
Rob Avila, San Francisco Bay Guardian
The Submission
by Jeff Talbott.
West Coast Premiere. New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco.
November 10-December 16, 2012.
The Fisherman's Wife
by Steve Yockey.
World Premiere. Impact Theatre, Berkeley, CA.
August 25-September 29, 2012.
Sweeney Todd
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by Hugh Wheeler.
Ray of Light Theatre at The Eureka Theater, San Francisco.
July 13-August 11, 2012
Hold Me Closer, Tiny Dionysus:
A Greek Comedy Rock Epic
by trixxie carr, Conceived by trixxie carr and Ben Randle.
World Premiere. CounterPULSE, San Francisco, CA.
February 17-19, 2012.
"Under the direction of Ben Randle, Hold Me Closer is effusive in its theatricality and generous in its silliness."
Lily Janiak, SFWeekly
The Last Five Years
by Jason Robert Brown. Poor Man's Players, San Francisco. December 3-18, 2011.
The Chalk Boy
by Joshua Conkel.
Regional Premiere. Impact Theatre, Berkeley, CA.
November 3 - December 10, 2011.
“Director Ben Randle keeps the action flowing at a smooth clip on the small stage. School bells call us to attention. Lauren and Trisha serve as sardonically omniscient and transparently prejudiced narrators. Words, diagrams, crosses and pentagrams are drawn on the chalkboard collage set, sometimes overlaid with the otherworldly forest patterns.”
Robert Hurwitt, San Francisco Chronicle
Into the Clear Blue Sky
by JC Lee.
World Premiere. Sleepwalkers Theatre, San Francisco, CA.
April 7 - April 30, 2011.
"Into the Clear Blue Sky shows that you don’t need a huge budget to create magical and moving art. ... Under the inventive direction of Ben Randle, the stage itself becomes poetic, too.
Randle’s direction makes imagination literal. Flashlights create both undersea plunges and starry nights. The set, by Randle, is like a collection of building blocks: characters transform it into everything from roaring ocean waves to an imposing gate to a scientific lab on the moon. "
Lily Janiak, San Francisco Bay Times
Treefall
by Henry Murray.
Regional Premiere. New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco, CA.
January 29 - February 27, 2011.
"[A] primal, jarring gospel of misaligned familial instincts, idiosyncratic faith, and sexual desperation.
In Treefall, New Conservatory Theatre director Ben Randle has another ambitious work on his hand, from the daring pen of playwright Henry Murray. Randle has said he continues to be drawn to the provocative, and this post-apocalyptic story of three boys who cling to each other for sanity and survival's sake pushes the Randle oeuvre further into the fringes."
Chris Trenchard, SF Weekly
Don't Ask
by Bill Quigley.
West Coast Premiere. New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco, CA.
August 13 - September 19, 2010.
Doubt
by John Patrick Shanley. New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco. January - March, 2010.
Ben Randle directed John Patrick Shanley’s drama with skillful subtlety, evoking startling performances."
Tom W. Kelly, San Francisco Bay Times
Hold Me Closer, Tiny Dionysus (2009)
by trixxie carr. Conceived by trixxie carr and Ben Randle
World Premiere. Mama Calizo Voice Factory, San Francisco, CA.
October 2009.
“Direction by Ben Randle keeps the festivities moving fast and furious. His visuals range from body-geometries and funky floor dances to well-placed stage pictures. And all are imbued with ritualistic qualities, lending the show a groovy gravitas.
San Francisco alternative theatre at its best! “
Tom W. Kelly, San Francisco Bay Times
![[Screen Capture] Trixxie Carr (Tiny Dionysus), Chad Benjamin Potter (Xanax).
Scenic Design by Maya Linke and Ben Randle, Lighting Design by Anthony Powers. ](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/512a6319e4b03f854eebc8bd/1361732507912-E3CFASE929VWKF75SRA7/uploaded-file-53638)
![[Screen Capture] Trixxie Carr (Tiny Dionysus), Stanley Frank (Chorus), Steve Fishell (Chorus), Joshua Thake (Chorus), Audra Wolfmann (Chorus).
Scenic Design by Maya Linke and Ben Randle, Lighting Design by Anthony Powers. ](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/512a6319e4b03f854eebc8bd/1361732510158-9CBE6OMPRGQFI17HDF5P/uploaded-file-46513)
![[Screen Capture] Trixxie Carr (Tiny Dionysus), Stanley Frank (Chorus), Steve Fishell (Chorus).
Scenic Design by Maya Linke and Ben Randle, Lighting Design by Anthony Powers. ](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/512a6319e4b03f854eebc8bd/1361732510128-YTAM2J8O4GEBIZJSO280/uploaded-file-23221)
![[Screen Capture] Trixxie Carr (Tiny Dionysus), Stanley Frank (Chorus), Steve Fishell (Chorus), Joshua Thake (Chorus), Audra Wolfmann (Chorus).
Scenic Design by Maya Linke and Ben Randle, Lighting Design by Anthony Powers. ](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/512a6319e4b03f854eebc8bd/1361732508326-SV5MWBZHRR427ZLY3PH1/uploaded-file-88107)
![[Screen Capture] Trixxie Carr (Tiny Dionysus), Steve Fishell (Chorus), Joshua Thake (Chorus), Audra Wolfmann (Chorus).
Scenic Design by Maya Linke and Ben Randle, Lighting Design by Anthony Powers. ](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/512a6319e4b03f854eebc8bd/1361732509407-56DH6S0UCROOBDAP59WW/uploaded-file-87648)
