Benjamin Reigel is a professional actor, director and fight choreographer, as well as the Founder and Artistic Director of The Backbone Ensemble Theatre. Originally from Wisconsin, Reigel has lived and worked throughout the country, and has scores of credits at theatres from coast to coast including Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Players Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, DE’s Resident Ensemble Players, Mill Mountain Theatre, Maine Shakespeare Festival/Penobscot Theatre Company, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, and many others. Recently his credits include Tom in The Glass Menagerie, Karl/Steve in Clybourne Park, and Caleb in The Whipping Man (Farmers Alley), Marlowe in She Stoops to Conquer, Antonio in 12th Night, and Salisbury in King John (Michigan Shakespeare Festival), the title role in Hamlet (Backbone Ensemble), and directing Cyrano de Bergerac for the Texas Shakespeare Festival.
Before coming to CMU, Reigel taught for 5 years at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, and before that for 3 years at Shorter University in Rome, Georgia.
Reigel lives in Grand Junction with his wife, Georgie, and their three children: Caroline, Charlie, and Livia.
As an actor, director and teacher, Reigel is deeply committed to the works of Shakespeare. He has performed, directed or choreographed more than 50 productions of Shakespeare’s plays. Both in the classroom and in his ongoing work with Backbone Ensemble Theatre, Riegel continues to test the teaching and performance opportunities made possible through a study of the First Folio texts, and an exploration of original Shakespearean practices.