Rita Benton

Born on October 24, 1881, in St. Louis, Missouri, Rita Benton was an American playwright. Reliable catalog and biographical records link her to dramatic writing from the 1920s, including Shorter Bible Plays and The Elf of Discontent and Other Plays.

Her surviving works point to a writer interested in short, usable plays for schools, churches, and children’s performance. The titles associated with her name suggest a mix of biblical material and light fantasy, written with staging in mind rather than literary showiness.

Little widely available biographical detail appears to survive beyond these basic facts, but her published plays have remained visible through library and archive records. That continuing presence hints at a practical, audience-aware writer whose work was meant to be spoken aloud and shared in community settings.