Ben R.
(Alias “Traveling Theater”)

Have you been out jogging lately? And if you have, have you chanced to see one of the traveling road show versions of the famous "Ben’s-Theater?" This unique form of entertainment is now being enjoyed all over the country and is known to be spreading throughout Europe as well. We felt it was time to give our Ben his just dues by recording here a chronicle of his development of the so‑called "Traveling-Theater."

Since Ben is so incredibly busy staging one after an­other of his road shows we were unable to talk directly to the inven­tive young man and have had to rely upon accounts provided by ac­quaintances and/or associates who have known him well. In an attempt to delve back into the young man's past we naturally began by scheduling another interview with the Legendary Mr. Christopherson, who as we surmised, could indeed claim young Ben as yet another of his wildly successful former students. The gracious teacher harkened back to that fall of  '93 Creative Expressions class from whence came so many outstanding world­ class figures.

Young Ben, who had already made something of a name for himself as a writer, chose to put together a play as his creative project in that class. This play, according to the Legendary Mr. Christopherson, was of such overwhelming quality that it is still being staged and performed by theater groups the world over! We were able to gain invaluable information about the young Ben R. and the origins of his new art form from this accommodating educator as he pulled one after another pertinent recollection from his overly‑photographic memory.

Apparently, this theatrical prodigy has combined two ideas from his youth in order to arrive at his basic traveling show. The first was the fact that he wrote his first plays in that wondrous Creative Expressions class on a computer that was on a wheeled stand and could be (as was often the case) moved from place to place as needed. The second was his passion for running which it is said he was quite good at.

While out running one afternoon, young Ben found himself thinking about that first play he was writing and wished that he could be working on it as he ran. He took this wishful thought to the Legendary Mr. Christopherson, and together they worked up the boy's wish into a practical reality. The helpful teacher, pushing the eight hundred pound cart with the computer on it (trailing an exceptionally long extension cord), trotted right alongside the young student as he jogged along, allowing him to both run and type additional acts of his play simultaneously. (It may be noted here that the Legendary Mr. Christopherson was the holder of various first‑class track records in his younger days and thus found it to be a breeze keeping up with the running boy.)

A couple handfuls of years later, as young-adult Ben headed into his chosen field as a playwright, he was running the Boston Marathon and found himself thinking that it would be great if all these runners could be entertained while enduring this otherwise long and boring run. Of course, this thought led to the birth of the "Traveling-Theater," which has come to enthrall count­less runners and joggers the world over.

The current configuration of the “Traveling-Theater” consists of mem­bers of the performing company, including actors and musicians, as well as those members of the stage and traffic crews, who are driven along in a huge trailer truck with one side opened up forming the stage for the Production. As the runners dash down the streets they are thus able to enjoy the latest stage play by glancing over at the large truck rumbling along beside them. Certain critics have complained that runners tend to become so absorbed by the action there on the stage that they trip over each other and run into light poles and so forth, but this must be seen not as an objection to the plays Ben writes or to his method of delivery, but rather as a testament to the high quality of his work.

The success of the idea may be gauged by the fact that Ben’s “Traveling-Theater” franchises have sprung up everywhere, making this young man both famous and wealthy. The jogging public knows what it wants and Ben R.’s Road Shows are it! Keep them rolling, Ben!