Dr. Ben Stasny

Dr. Ben Stasny is thrilled to join the faculty at K-State! He is moving to Kansas from Colorado where he has spent the last 6 years actively involved in theatre and education. He received his PhD in Theatre & Performance Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder and became certified as a facilitator of Theatre of the Oppressed from the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre and Mandala Center for Change.

Before joining K-State, Ben worked at Red Rocks Community College in Denver where he developed Open Educational Resources in Musical Theatre History and Theatre Voice & Diction. While in Boulder, Ben directed the plenary session for the United Nations' Annual Global Climate Summit and co-produced two international Stand-Up Comedy Shows about climate change at the Boulder Theater.

Some of Ben's favorite directing credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Hadestown: Teen Edition, Lend Me a Tenor, a new multimedia opera, and serving as Resident Director for Boulder's annual New Musical Project. Some of Ben's favorite performance credits include: King Arthur in Spamalot, Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, The Genie in Aladdin for Disney Cruise Line, and as an actor in the New York New Works Festival in New York City.

Ben has a deep passion for improv, musical theatre, interdisciplinary studies, and new work. Ben looks forward to working with students at K-State and helping them achieve meaningful careers in theatre!