From Providence to Minneapolis: Ben Steinfeld Brings "Twelve Kinds of Ice" to the Stage

​Ben Steinfeld wears a lot of hats. Actor, director, teacher, musician, and co-artistic director of Fiasco Theater—his resume reads like a full season of programming at a regional playhouse. But this October, the Providence-based artist added another credit to that list: musical theater writer.
The Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis will produce the world premiere of "Twelve Kinds of Ice," a family musical written by Steinfeld, running October 13 through November 22. He wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the adaptation, which is based on a children's book by Maine author Ellen Bryan Obed.
Steinfeld's connection to Rhode Island runs deep. He first arrived as an undergraduate at Brown University, then stayed on for the MFA program Brown was developing with Trinity Rep at the time. That training left a lasting impression. "I really fell in love with Trinity Rep and wanted to train there," he said. From there, he spent roughly 20 years building a career centered in New York, co-founding Fiasco Theater with fellow Brown/Trinity MFA graduates. The ensemble company built its reputation primarily on Shakespeare, along with a couple of Stephen Sondheim musicals, partnering with numerous New York theaters along the way.
Two years ago, Steinfeld and his wife moved back to Providence after she took a position as head of the lower school at the Wheeler School. "It was always a dream of ours to find our way back to Rhode Island and to Providence somehow," he said. Since returning, he's worked with Trinity Rep and the Gamm Theatre, taught at Brown, and continued his work with Fiasco in New York and at theaters around the country.
Steinfeld says Providence offers something increasingly rare for artists: an affordable place to live paired with a genuine audience for the work. "It has people who care about supporting the arts," he said, noting a growing number of young theater makers who are choosing to stay and build lives in the city.
Adapting a Children's Book for the Stage
The idea for "Twelve Kinds of Ice" began a decade ago, when Steinfeld read Obed's book to his son. The story follows a girl and her father counting twelve different kinds of ice from the beginning of winter to its end, each one marking a different way they explore the season together. Two River Theater in New Jersey later commissioned Steinfeld to adapt it into a musical.
The show's structure took shape after Steinfeld spoke with Obed about adapting her work. She told him she had long wanted to write about this period of her childhood but couldn't find a way in—until her father died, and the stories came pouring out. That detail became the emotional spine of Steinfeld's adaptation, which opens with a middle-aged version of Ellen, a children's book author, admitting she's stuck on how her story ends. From there, she steps back into her 10-year-old self, guiding audiences through the twelve kinds of ice alongside her father, with original songs woven throughout. Tickets are available now at childrenstheatre.org/twelve.
"I think it's very funny and very moving," Steinfeld said, noting that the show let him draw on his own experience as both a parent and a child, including the loss of his own parent this past year.
Writing as a Craft
For someone with decades of experience directing and acting, writing an original musical is still new territory. Steinfeld describes adaptation as a common entry point for musical theater writers, often starting with musicalizing an existing play before moving to short stories or novels, and eventually original work. "All of those kinds of things take a lot of practice," he said. His years studying structure as a director and teacher gave him a head start, but the writing itself remains its own challenge—one he says he's enjoying at this stage of his career.
He's also quick to champion new work in an industry often dominated by revivals. With théâtres nationwide currently racing to stage "Les Misérables" now that rights have opened up, Steinfeld argues that supporting untested musicals matters more than ever. "You have to take risks on things that are not proven in order for those things to become part of the canon," he said.
Rhode Islanders can catch Steinfeld on stage locally. He'll appear in "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" at the Gamm Theatre this February and March.