Benjamin Charles "Ben" Fankhauser (born May 11, 1990) is an actor and singer. He's been performing in the theatre since middle school and continued throughout college. He made his Broadway debut in the 2012 Disney musical Newsies, as newsboy "Davey," and also originated the role in the 2011 Paper Mill Playhouse production.
Personal Life edit
Ben Fankhauser was born in Zurich, Switzerland and raised in Cleveland, Ohio[1] with his parents and older brother.[2] He attended Ithaca College and graduated in 2011, after taking off a year to be a part of the first national tour of Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening.[3] He then returned to school in fall of 2010 in order to graduate on time with the rest of his classmates.
Broadway edit
Ben made his Broadway debut in 2012 as part of the original cast of Disney's Newsies.[4] The show won Best Score and Best Chroeography at the 2012 Tony Awards.[5] He originated the role of "Davey," which he also played in the 2011 Paper Mill Playhouse production prior to the Broadway transfer of the show.
Other Theatre edit
Fankhauser has performed in various shows in the theatre since middle school. One of his first roles was playing "Crutchie" in a children's production of Newsies at his theatre day camp.[6] He was involved in shows during college at Ithaca, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A New Brain, Metamorphoses and Chicago.[7]
He then played the role of "Ernst" in first national tour of Spring Awakening from 2009-2010.
In York Theatre's off-Broadway production of Sondheim's Saturday Night, Ben played "Gene." The show was a limited run and ran November 8-16, 2014.
Ben has also performed regionally in shows including Next to Normal at The North Carolina Theatre. Next to Normal details the story of a family struggling as mother, "Diana Goodman" battles bipolar disorder. He played the role of "Henry," who is the love interest of daughter, "Natalie Goodman" in the show. The show ran from May 1-10, 2015 at the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater in Raleigh.
In the upcoming first national tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Fankhauser will play the role of Barry Mann, alongside Abbey Mueller as Carole King, Liam Tobin as Gerry Goffin and Becky Gulsvig as Cynthia Weil. The tour launches September 2015 in Providence, Rhode Island.[8]
TV/Web Series Appearances edit
Ben has appeared on television series including "Submissions Only," created by Kate Wetherhead and Andrew Keenan-Bolger (2012) and "It Could Be Worse," created by Wesley Taylor and Mitchell Jarvis (2014).
Other edit
Ben is a frequent singer/guest at 54 Below, Birdland Jazz Club and other cabaret venues in New York. He can be heard on the Original Broadway Cast album of Newsies, and on multiple albums of new works and popular songwriters.
References edit
- ^ "PLAYBILL.COM'S CUE & A: Newsies' Ben Fankhauser". Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- ^ "Playbill's Cue & A". Playbill. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- ^ "All the Worlds His Stage - Main Stage Theater - Ithaca College". www.ithaca.edu. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
{{cite web}}: C1 control character in|title=at position 14 (help) - ^ "Ben Fankhauser Theatre Credits". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- ^ "Disney NEWSIES | Official Site for NEWSIES On Tour | About the Show". www.newsiesthemusical.com. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- ^ "PLAYBILL.COM'S CUE & A: Newsies' Ben Fankhauser". Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- ^ "All the Worlds His Stage - Main Stage Theater - Ithaca College". www.ithaca.edu. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
{{cite web}}: C1 control character in|title=at position 14 (help) - ^ "Liam Tobin, Becky Gulsvig & Ben Fankhauser Join the National Tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical". Retrieved 2015-09-01.
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