Benjamin Boucvalt’s No Matter What You Tell Me

My father was a hard man. 

Which worked out just great with a son like me who knew it all. Well, not all of it. But a lot of it. Okay, not a lot, but some . . . ahh, who am I kidding? I didn’t know anything. None of us knew a thing. 

“No Matter What You Tell Me” is about a years-long journey of a son who liked to dig. Arguably in places he shouldn’t have been. I mean, we all know what our parents told us, right? “Mind your business.” 

I sometimes wonder if that would’ve been the better road. To have kept things buried. Maybe it wasn’t necessary for me to learn about that family member who chased a burglar down the street while completely naked and holding a lamp. 

Oh, well. No turning back now. 

Writer and actor Benjamin Boucvalt brings his play, “No Matter What You Tell Me,” to Bandon with performances at the Sprague Community Theater at 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 16; and 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 17, presented by Bandon Playhouse and the Sprague Community Theater.

This dramatic comedy is hilarious, heartbreaking, and ever so hopeful. Told in the first person, this is a story of one secret that leads into another. A story that proves how family is fraught, never really what it appears, and, despite it all, so very necessary.

Admission is $20 per person, online or at the box office. Advance tickets are available at Tix.com. This play includes mature themes and is recommended for teen and adult audiences.

Most of Benjamin’s career has been spent on stage doing classical work. Both as a writer and actor, his passion for this is born out of his love for storytelling. Benjamin’s “No Matter What You Tell Me” was performed this summer in Las Vegas. After his stop here in Oregon, he’ll be headed to California, New York, Ohio, and Minnesota.

Benjamin is also a company member at Great River Shakespeare Festival. Notable performances include Orlando in “As You Like It,” Cassius in “Julius Caesar,” Oberon in “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Leontes in “Winter’s Tale,” and Romeo in “Romeo and Juliet.” Other theater performances include the Asolo Repertory Theatre, Curtain Theatre, St. Petersburg Shakespeare Company, and the Orlando Shakespeare Theater.

Benjamin published his second book, “The Name Hennessy,” in 2024. He voices one of the main characters in the audiobook. The recording is a fully dramatized audiobook, with individual actors reading each character, all recorded together on stage. Benjamin is an active martial artist and does fight choreography for stage and film across the country. Find Benjamin on Instagram @boucvalt.