As Kurt Kleinmann’s wife, partner, and editor, I have the privilege of seeing the creative process from an enviable vantage point. Here are some observations.
Sometimes it’s the small things.
People often ask where Kurt gets his ideas. It’s a tough question to answer because the truth is, inspiration can come from the smallest of nudges. These nudges can come from life or from a person. Either way they trigger a flurry of ideas in Kurt’s brain and the words just flow!
Case in point: A friend and colleague made a fond reference to Maria Ouspenskaya, the actor who played the old gypsy woman in the original Wolf Man movies. He even did a short imitation of her distinct style. This stirred Kurt’s creative instincts so heartily that six months later we opened a new Living Black & White™ show called Full Moon Murders! Set on Halloween, the script has Harry and Nigel trick-or-treating costumed as The Lone Ranger and Tonto. When they show up at an old mansion where a wolf may or may not have killed several people, hijinks ensue. And yes, there is an old gypsy woman who speaks in verse!
“Full Moon Murders” by Kurt Kleinmann (2008)
Another case: A reviewer said, in conversation with me, that they believed part of their job was to “coach” local playwrights with their reviews, help shape their playwriting ability. This seemed quite a stretch to us, and it tickled Kurt’s funny bone. He created a character, a theatre reviewer for a major newspaper to whom no one ever listened or paid attention. The obvious setting for this character was a newsroom, and Deadline! was born. The character of the reviewer was entirely incidental to the plot, and he remained in his corner of the stage throughout the play, as oblivious to others as they were to him. The symbolism worked on multiple levels: the lack of attention given to theatre by newspapers, the ivory tower self-importance of some reviewers. But as with all of Kurt’s work, it wasn’t designed to be a blistering attack. Just some gentle satire that gave birth to one of the finest Living Black & White™ scripts in the collection.
More behind the scenes stories still to come! Stay tuned!!