currently...
Clara is on tour throughout Arizona with Childplay's production of Maddi's Fridge.
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She will be a Teaching Artist this Summer for TheaterWorks' Imagination series.
News & Reviews.
Stray Cat Theater announces Assistant Director for
POTUS: or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.
(it's me)
Read about the Curiouser & Curiouser project here:
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Talkin Broadway, Gil Benbrook here: https://www.talkinbroadway.com/page/regional/phoenix/phnx841.html
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Forbes (That's me in the photo!): https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisstrub/2020/10/13/sold-out-arizona-nonprofit-cuts-crowds-pivots-to-immersive-theater/
Hale Centre Theatre
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"... Sarah Davidson and Clara Bentz exhibit a natural sisterly relationship as Ruth and Miriam, respectively. [They] derive big laughs from the many humorous situations and comical lines this family experiences throughout the play, and show an abundance of love for each other as well. Bentz is a knockout as the precocious and overly dramatic 16-year-old. The moments she and Fiscus have together feature expertly timed repartee and are simply sublime."
​​Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | TheaterWorks | "...an exceptional cast..."
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Frankentstein | TheaterWorks
The Importance of Being Earnest
at the Hale Centre Theatre.
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"...Bentz is exquisitely adept in her ability to portray Cecily's budding maturity while also making us see that this is an artistic woman who relishes living in the fantasy world she has created."
Awards.
Honorable Mention | National Society of Arts and Letters - Greater Arizona Chapter
2023 Drama Competition
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2022-2023 Best Lead Actress
William Shakespeare's Land of the Dead | TheaterWorks
William Kemp
2018-2019 Best Supporting Actress
A Christmas Carol | TheaterWorks
Ghost of Christmas Past
& Ghost of Christmas Future Puppet Operator
The McMillin Fellowship.
For the 32nd Season at TheaterWorks, Bentz had the privilege of working as the resident McMillin Fellow. Focusing on acting and theatre education, she worked with many programs, including AdaptiveWorks, PuppetWorks, KidsAlive, and even acting in their MasterWorks series. (Check out her work on their blog, specifically the How to Get on the Line Series!)
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TheaterWorks continues to be a home theatre, ​and Clara will be teaching the Imagination Series Summer Camps in 2025.
Stephens College.
Clara graduated from Stephens College in Columbia, MO, in May of 2017, with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts with and emphasis in Acting. This three year, two summer, intensive program contributed significantly to her growth as an artist and as a person. During that time she acted in the following productions: Anne of Green Gables, What Every Girl Should Know, Seven, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Traces in the Wind, Sweet Charity, Emma, and Everything You Touch. Clara also worked on many other productions in various capacities. One of her favorite projects was directing Brewed for the student-run Warehouse Theatre Company.
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She was also a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, and was proud to represent Courage in the Ten Ideals, '17.
life in the 605.
Born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (aka "the 605"), Clara grew up between ball fields and ballet class. With her grandparents feeding her love of stories, and her mother's Shakespeare club, she soon found a passion in storytelling and performance. By the time high school rolled around, she earned a "Superior" Award for a Lead Actor in the One Act Play Festival, while also volunteering with the local Plays for Living Program. Upon graduation from O'Gorman Senior High she was awarded the Outstanding Thespian Award for Leadership and Work Ethic.
​Post-college she had the opportunity to work with The Bare Bodkins in their production of Macbeth, and with the Monstrous Little Theatre Company's production of Bhutan.
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Though currently living in Phoenix, AZ; the 605 will always represent her American heartland roots.