Ben H Winters is a writer
and this is his junky looking but informative website
New and exciting
A (TOOTH) FAIRY TALE is for sale! The acting edition is about-to-be available from Samuel French, Inc. and you can get a copy right here. I'm extremely proud and excited about this.

-- September 29

Random gig department: I am doing some more speechwriting, this time for the North Shore Animal League's annual gala. I did it last year, it's a lot of fun, and obviously a very worthy cause. The event is November 4 at Capitale, coincidentally the same place I got married.

-- September 14


I've been named a Dramatist Guild Fellow for 2008-2009, in partnership with Stephen Sislen. We'll get to work closely with Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, RAGTIME, lots of other great stuff) along with many other theatrical luminaries, plus our terrific fellow fellows. It's a wonderful opportunity.

--September 10

 Terrific production of SLUT at the Actor's Theatre Charlotte. Stephen and I went down for opening night, met the cast, and had a great time. Congratulations and thanks to all, especially director Kerry Ferguson.

--August 9

BREAKING UP has garnered some swell reviews up at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine, like this one from Broadway World and this one from Sea Coast Online, which says the show is "a small cast show with a big impact." Congrats, and thanks to cast and crew.

--July 7

I'm writing another Worst-Case Scenario book, this one for young adults, about surviving the horrors of middle school. Due out in Spring '09, same as the first one, the Worst-Case Scenario Pocket Guide to New York. 

-- July 2

 
This is the website for BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO in Branson, MO. Our sources tell us it's selling very well out there.

-- June 23


A GREAT BIG MIRACLE, the family friendly play I wrote about Hanukkah, will be given a staged reading this year by The Mesaper Theater, here in New York. It will probably just be one performance, but I'm real, real excited about it. Obviously I'll post all the details when I've got them.

--June 20

"Room 16" will be performed once again (just the song, not the whole show) at a showcase for the National Association of Musical Theater conference, on June 28. Jenifer Foote will once again be singing; let me know if you want more info.

-- June 17


It looks like Sam French will be publishing A (TOOTH) FAIRY TALE. which is terrific. I'll have details soon. Meanwhile, MTI has licensed FAME FOREVER, which is also great news.

--June 13

You can go to YouTube and find some clips from the ROOM 16 performances thus far. If you search for "Stephen Sislen" on the site you'll find clips of "After November," "Take It Back," and the title song, "Room 16."

Or just click here to watch the "Room 16" clip, sung by the terrific Jenifer Foote.


--May 20

If you missed A (TOOTH) FAIRY TALE, and can make it to Mill Hall, Pennsylvania this summer, the show is being presented at The Millbrook Playhouse.
--May 19

ROOM 16 will be featured this Thursday, May 22 at a "master class" at BMI, featuring the legendary Hal Prince as the panelist. That means that our show (along with one other) will present 25 minutes of material, after which the award-winning and brilliant director and producer will tell us exactly what he thinks. It takes place at BMI headquarters, 320 W 57th Street on the third floor, at 5:00 on 5/22. Open to the public! 
--  May 19

A great review for A (TOOTH) FAIRY TALE in the New York Times. The reviewer said the show was "very funny", "melodically rich" and "never less than original."

 Two more chances to see something of ROOM 16. On April 17 at 5:30 we're presenting the title song (sung by the incredibly Jeny Foote) as part of a "smoker" -- an evening of songs from the BMI Musical Theater Workshop. Then on Monday, May 12 we'll do a scripts-in-hand reading of the whole first act at the Snapple Theater, under the auspices of Musical Mondays. Come check it out.

There's a cast album available for A (TOOTH) FAIRY TALE. As of now it's just on sale at the theater (The Soho Playhouse) when the show is up, but send me an email if you're interested and I'll help you get a copy!

ROOM 16, the musical I’m working on with Stephen Sislen about the Watergate break in, has been selected to be a part of the ASCAP Foundation/Disney Musical Theater Workshop. The workshop is directed by Stephen Schwartz, of Wicked fame. We will present on March 31; if you’d like to come, please let me know.

The aforementioned Watergate musical, ROOM 16, will be presented by Musical Mondays at the Snapple Theater in midtown on May 12. If you’d like to come – or you’d like to know how one goes about writing a musical about Watergate – please send me an email.

A (TOOTH) FAIRY TALE, the kids musical with songs by Rick Hip-Flores and book by me, sold out its initial run at the Vital Theater and has now transferred Off Broadway to the Soho Playhouse. It runs Saturdays and Sundays at 12. If you know anyone aged four through ten, please ask them to come—let me know if you’re coming, and I can probably get you discount tickets.

Stephen Sislen, my frequent collaborator, wrote a terrific song for the TV show Johnny and the Sprites with the lyricist Alisa Klein. Their song is called "My Lucky Day" and it was on Episode 9 of season 2; you can find it on iTunes.

I'm writing a book called THE WORST CASE SCENARIO POCKET GUIDE TO NEW YORK for Quirk Books. You may have seen the other "Worst Case" books -- the game is, very practical advice for terrible, unforeseeable situations (such as, in the case of my book, being run over by a hot dog cart). Due out in Spring 2009.

Branson, Missouri, magical showplace of the American midwest, will soon have a production of BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO, the Neil Sedaka musical I co-wrote a couple years ago with Erik Jackson (from an idea by Gordon Greenberg and Marsh Hanson). Other upcoming BREAKING UP productions include one in Kansas City, one in Eugene, Oregon, and one this summer at the Ogunquit Playhouse up in Maine.


 

I am a writer who lives in Brooklyn with all the other writers. 

I am represented as a playwright & librettist by Ron Gwiazda at the Abrams Agency; I am represented as a prose writer by Molly Lyons at Joelle Delbourgo Associates; I am represented at the United Nations, like all Americans, by Zalmay Khalizad.

Please send me an email or be my friend on Facebook.