March 6, 2026
The Department of Theatre Arts and Dance is thrilled to announce that 2025 Alumnus Ben Ashcraft is set to make his Broadway debut in the play Stranger Things: First Shadow later this month. Ashcraft will be playing the role of Alan Munson, who is one of the main characters in the play. He began rehearsals last month, soon after receiving his offer, “I called my mom, she was always the first person to push me and help me grow in this art form. I owe a lot of who I am today as a performer to her.”
Ashcraft was a BFA theatre major, with a concentration in Musical Theatre and a minor in Dance. While at UTA he starred as Gabey in On the Town, Dolokov in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, and Josh in 9 to 5. He credits his professors and mentors for teaching him how “to navigate the audition and rehearsal room. In order to show up and do work that I’m proud of.”
Ashcraft moved to New York in November with four of his classmates. Stranger Things was his very first audition after he arrived. Since beginning rehearsals he reached out to his UTA professors to thank them for preparing him for this amazing opportunity, “I never expected to be so comfortable and prepared when stepping into a Broadway rehearsal room.” With so many Theatre Arts and Dance alumni moving to New York after graduation, there are likely to be even more UTA students on Broadway soon!
The Theatre Arts and Dance Department has experienced a surge in popularity for incoming students over the past five years, with the BFA and BA programs at their largest capacity since they began. Other recent alumni successes include performers across DFW and spanning the world on Disney and Norwegian Cruise Lines and on tour with Paw Patrol; full-time technicians and designers at Glimmerglass Theatre New York, Zach Theatre Austin, Dallas Theater Center, Meow Wolf Los Angeles… and so many more!
You can catch Ben Ashcraft as Alan Munson starting on March 31, 2026 at the Marquis Theatre in Times Square.
Official Stranger Things on Broadway Website
Broadway.com Cast Announcement