Applied Mechanics is a visionary theater collective. 

Our plays tell stories of radical transformation.

RUN BEN RUN

October 6 – 18, 2026 at Christ Church Neighborhood House

From Philadelphia favorites Applied Mechanics comes a spectacular new show, RUN BEN RUN: a maniacal, surreal satire starring famous Bens from throughout American history, from Ben Franklin to Ben Affleck. Thrown together on a film set with the goal of making a movie about the John Gast painting American Progress, the Bens wrestle with identity, fame, and the versions of American identity that live within each of us. The play surrounds the audience with a panoply of different offerings from the different Bens. Will Ben Affleck be able to finish his movie without his star, Ben Franklin? Will Ben Vereen dance his way out of danger? Will Benedict Arnold clear his name? And will Benito Antonio Ocasio Cortez (Bad Bunny) finally write the song to bring us together? The Bens begin to wonder: can they rewrite history? Or should they just… run away?

Using drag, choreography, pastiche, and an absurd original script, some of Philly’s favorite performers craft a spectacle that tears apart the underlying assumptions about American Progress.