Most of Ben’s adult life has been guided by their belief in the divine desires and characteristics of creativity and justice. After attending Wisconsin Lutheran College for theatre and Full Sail University for film, they moved to New York and worked in casting for television. Upon returning to Milwaukee, they joined Transformation City church, an urban, multi-ethnic community. A few years later, they moved, with other congregants, into a central city house owned by the church for the purpose of becoming good neighbors and seeking the peace and prosperity of Milwaukee, the most segregated city in the U.S. They remained in the neighborhood for a decade, which profoundly shifted their ways of thinking about poverty, racism, history and themself.

2013 saw the production of Ben’s first play, Work in Progress, based on their experience at a nonprofit temp agency for people who had been incarcerated. In 2016, Soulstice Theater produced their second play, Starlings, which was reviewed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as “a conversation making as smart and moving a contribution to the halting dialogue between homosexuality and Christianity as I’ve seen on stage.” Starlings sold out every performance in its three-weekend run. High-quality recordings of Work in Progress and Starlings are posted on this website and continue to draw an audience. Ben has also written film reviews for Relevant magazine and Cinema Faith.

Between 2014 and 2022, Ben was active in the Milwaukee performing arts scene, appearing in productions at various companies, including Acacia Theatre, Renaissance Theatreworks and the Milwaukee Fringe Festival. Their portrayal of Carol in Erin Nicole Eggers’ vision of Oleanna started an international discussion about the rights of interpretation and the realities of gender expansiveness.

Recently, Ben relocated to Chicago, where they are studying at The Green Room acting studio. They have also taken classes at The Second City. For more, visit Ben’s YouTube channel, A Co-Ed Performitory, follow them on Twitter, or email them at ben.d.parman@gmail.com.