“Ben Bonnema’s clever, catchy songs...a bushelful of delights.”
![The cast of THE APPLE BOYS at HERE Arts Center, 2018 [photo by Richard Termine]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54ca53eae4b0d3b0cbb5b5b3/1573496071591-KTT4KY7TM4AV5XUJODIK/The_Apple_Boys_01%28c%29Richard_Termine.jpg)
The cast of THE APPLE BOYS at HERE Arts Center, 2018 [photo by Richard Termine]
Jenn Colella and the cast of ONE WAY at NAMT’s 2019 Festival of New Musicals
Ben Bonnema & Christopher Staskel receive the ASCAP Harold Adamson Lyric Award
Ben Bonnema is the recipient of the Fred Ebb Award, the Jonathan Larson Grant,
the ASCAP Frederick Loewe Award, and the Harold Adamson Lyric Award (with Christopher Staskel). The New Yorker raved about his show THE APPLE BOYS, calling it “a bushelful of delights” and that he wrote “clever, catchy songs.” It had its world premiere at HERE Arts Center in November 2018 (book by Jonothon Lyons, Heart on Sleeve Productions).
ONE WAY, written with Christopher Staskel, was at NAMT’s 2019 Festival of New Musicals starring Jenn Colella (Come From Away, Tony Nom.). It was also developed at the Musical Theatre Factory, the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project and Writers Colony at Goodspeed. Ben wrote book, music & lyrics to Adult Swim's PETER PANIC, a full-length musical within a mobile game starring Gideon Glick and Emily Skeggs, downloaded over two million times (developed by James Marion).
Other full-length: BOYS WHO TRICKED ME, called "heart-healing musical theatre" by Joshua Barone of the New York Times (Musical Theatre Factory); THE LOST GIRL with Arianna Rose (Florida Festival of New Musicals 2021). He contributed additional sound design and composition to Punchdrunk's SLEEP NO MORE and additional orchestrations for Ana Gasteyer's album I'm Hip. His play-by-mail, “The Constellation Melody,” was part of Artistic Stamp’s 59E59 Residency.
Film/TV: The Pastor’s Only Son (writer, Best Horror Screenplay Finalist at the 2021 Austin After Dark Film Festival; 2021 Oregon Screen Week Film Festival), Baby Steps (pilot, composer); Switch Hitter Haze (2019 SPLIFF Film Festival, writer & composer).
As Music Associate to Marc Shaiman, he worked on the Disney film Mary Poppins Returns, starring Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Oscar Nom. for Best Score), as well as the Broadway show Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Ben holds an M.F.A. from NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program and a B.A. in Music Composition from Whitworth University. He's a proud member of ASCAP, Theater Workers For A Ceasefire, and is a founding member of the Musical Theatre Factory.
MUSICALS
Michael Kushner Photography
THEATRE:
KATIE GAMELLI
Paladin Artists
KatieGamelli@paladinartists.com
860-930-0757
TELEVISION/FILM:
JOHN MIRANDA
John Miranda Entertainment
johnmiranda@sbcglobal.net
Ben also offers private music composition lessons at a sliding scale, as well as rentals of his home studio for voiceover or demo work.