Theatre
BEN DISKANT is a New York-based writer and composer. As a playwright, he has written The Weekend which had its world premiere at Barrington Stage in September 2025. As a composer/lyricist, he has written the musicals The Endless Quiet, Kevin, and the High School adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado. Collaborations include Judy Moody & Stink (with Sami Horneff), which kicked off ArtsPower’s 2019-2020 season and Jade Alaska (with Neena Beber), commissioned by Theatreworks/USA. Other TYA works include Across the Sky (with Sami Horneff), Down Unda Rescue Sanctuary and The Game Room (with Lindsay Anderson and Cassidy Dermott) both commissioned by Brooklyn Children’s Theatre, and One Swipe Away (with Lindsay Anderson), which won the 2018 Jean Banks Award.
Ben is a current member of the BMI-Lehman Engel Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop and holds a Bachelor’s in Music from Northwestern University and an MFA in Acting from The Old Globe/USD program in San Diego. As an actor, Ben has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in regional productions all over the country.
As an illustrator, Ben's drawings appeared in the theatrical adaptation of Fish in a Tree with New York City Children’s Theater.
A new musical by Ben Diskant
Cast Size: 5 Actors
Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes
Kevin
PLOT: Kevin is a tender, time-shifting musical about shame, survival, and the courage to be seen. When a guarded New Yorker unexpectedly encounters an old college classmate, he must confront the year that changed everything - and the roommate he thought he left behind.
Fun Home meets Merrily We Roll Along, , Kevin is a life-affirming story about reconnecting with the most authentic part of yourself.
NEWS: Kevin received a 29 hour reading in the summer of 2023. Brad Weinstock and Stephen Anthony Christopher played the leading roles.
A new play by Ben Diskant
Cast Size: 4 Actors (2F, 2M)
Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes
The Weekend
PLOT: A story that straddles the Upper West Side and a lake in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in the fall of 1996, The Weekend is about four people who didn’t know they were lost… until they’re unexpectedly awakened by the power of love.
Beth and Tom finally have a weekend to escape their lives in Manhattan. But just as they’re about to head to the Berkshires, Tom invites his younger brother Allan to tag along. Suddenly the romantic weekend Beth was hoping for becomes a magnifying glass for why she feels alone in her marriage. The trip is further complicated when Jordan, who lives next door, turns out to be the missing piece from Allan’s past.
NEWS: The Weekend had its world premiere at Barrington Stage in September 2025. It won 2 Berkshire Theatre Awards, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play (Ben Rosenfield) and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play (Sasha Diamond).
A new high school musical by Ben Diskant
Based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing
Cast Size: Expandable Cast (from 18 - 40+ teens)
Running Time: Approximately 2 hrs (with a 15 minute interemission)
Band Size: TBD
Much Ado
PLOT: In the spirit of Grease and Mean Girls, Much Ado is a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy. With a pop-infused musical theatre score, the story follows a group of high schoolers as they navigate their senior year. Though the first act is fun and upbeat, the second act comes crashing down when a rumor gets out of hand, and everyone faces the repercussions of their actions. Swapping swords for cell phones, and whispers for instant messages, this Much Ado immediately takes us to the heart of what it means to be a Senior.
Written specifically for high school-aged performers, Much Ado offers a unique opportunity for students to play characters their own age, while exploring issues (such as anxiety and cyber bullying) that they may currently face in school.
NEWS: The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City produced a workshop in December 2025. Playbill Article.
Music Theatre Philly produced a workshop of Much Ado with high school students in August 2024.
Broadway Dreams produced a reading of Much Ado in New York City in April 2024.
A new musical by Ben Diskant
Cast Size: 7 Actors (5F, 2M)
Running Time: Approximately 1 hr and 40 minutes (no intermission)
Band Size: Small
The Endless Quiet
PLOT: In her youth, Jo was a celebrated journalist living an exciting life on the front lines in Lebanon. Now nearing 60, she finds herself Dean of a struggling journalism school, living vicariously through her daughter Dylan, who is on track to become a foreign correspondent herself.
Jo’s life is thrown into chaos when she is forced to take in her estranged mother Eleanor, a successful romance novelist now in the throes of dementia. Even though Dylan has come home to provide additional care for her grandmother, Jo’s world begins to splinter and crack, allowing a pathway for the long-buried past to resurface. In this fractured state, Jo discovers that it is not only her mother who is living in an alternate reality.
NEWS: The Endless Quiet received a 29-hour reading in December 2024 at New 42 Studios. The cast was led by Luba Mason, Lauren Patten, Colleen Fitzpatrick and John Riddle.
Judy Moody & Stink
A new musical for Youth Audiences produced by ArtsPower National Touring Theatre.
Book by Gary Blackman
Lyrics by Sami Horneff
Music by Ben Diskant
PLOT: Judy Moody & Stink is based on two books from author Megan McDonald’s “Judy Moody and Stink” series: “Judy Moody Gets Famous” and “Stink and the Super-Stinky Sneaker Contest.”
As usual, Judy is in a mood. After seeing her classmate’s picture on the front page of the newspaper, Judy wants to be famous and sets off to find fame and happiness. All the while, Stink and his foul-smelling sneakers become a real distraction as he vies for the coveted Golden Clothespin Award. Judy Moody and Stink are the perfect pair for their imperfect capers that lead to fun, mystery, sibling rivalry, and in the end, true friendship.
NEWS: Judy Moody and Stink was commissioned by Arts Power, and went out on a national tour in the fall of 2019 until the spring of 2020.
Across the Sky
A new musical for Youth Audiences
Book and Lyrics by Sami Horneff
Book and Music by Ben Diskant
Cast Size: 6 Actors
Running Time: Approximately 45 minutes
Audience Age: Lower School
PLOT: Based on the children's book, Elinda Who Danced in the Sky by Lynn Moroney, this charming family musical follows Elinda, a princess whose job it is to direct the migration of the birds. When the migration goes wrong, Elinda is forced to take the adventure of a lifetime to make it right. Featuring fantastical puppets and a romantic original songs and score, Across The Sky is a family adventure for this new generation.