Kesselring Prize
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Joseph Otto Kesselring (June 21, 1902 – November 5, 1967) was an American playwright who was best known for writing '' Arsenic and Old Lace'', a hit on Broadway from 1939 to 1944 and in other countries as well.


Biography

He was born in New York City to Henry and Frances Kesselring. His father's parents were immigrants from Germany. His mother was an English Canadian. Kesselring spent much of his life in and around the theater. In 1922, he began teaching vocal music and directed stage productions at Bethel College, a
Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
school in North Newton,
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
. After two years, Kesselring left teaching and returned to the stage, working for two years with an amateur theatrical group in Niagara,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
. He began working as a freelance
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...
in 1933, completing 12 original plays, of which four were produced on Broadway: '' There's Wisdom in Women'' (1935), "Cross-Town" (1937), ''Arsenic and Old Lace'' (1939), and ''Four Twelves are 48'' (1951). '' Arsenic and Old Lace'' was his masterpiece. It ran for 1444 performances on Broadway and 1337 performances in London, and became a staple in high school and
dinner theater Dinner theater (sometimes called dinner and a show) is a form of entertainment that combines a restaurant meal with a staged play or musical. In the case of a theatrical performance, sometimes the play is incidental entertainment, secondary to th ...
circuits. The 1944 movie adaptation was also a comedy hit. ''Arsenic and Old Lace'' appeared at a time of strong isolationist sentiment regarding European affairs, of the sort that was very strong where Kesselring went to college. The play suggested that the elite running America had a murderous heritage. Kesselring lived in a college house that would later be the basis of the set of ''Arsenic and Old Lace'', and locals have tried to identify who were some of the character models he used. Kesselring was an Episcopalian who did not fit in well with the strait-laced college. Bethel replaced him in 1924.


Death and legacy

Kesselring died on November 5, 1967, in
Kingston, New York Kingston is the only Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in, and the county seat of, Ulster County, New York, United States. It is north of New York City and south of Albany, New York, Albany. The city's metropolitan area is grou ...
, at the age of 65. In 1980, the
National Arts Club The National Arts Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and members club on Gramercy Park, Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1898 by Charles DeKay, an art and literary critic of the ''New York Times'', to "stimulate, foster, and promote publi ...
created the Joseph Kesselring Prize for up-and-coming playwrights. It was funded by Kesselring's
widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjecti ...
, Charlotte. Among the playwrights who have won the prize are
Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Among his stage work, he is most known for ''Angels in America'', which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, as well as its subsequent acclaime ...
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, José Rivera,
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Tracey Scott Wilson Tracey Scott Wilson is an American playwright, television writer, television producer, and screenwriter. She graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in English and from Temple University with an MA in English Literature. Early life Born in ...
, and
Marion McClinton Marion Isaac McClinton (July 26, 1954 – November 28, 2019) was an American theatre director, playwright, and actor. He was nominated for the Tony Award for ''King Hedley II''. He won the 2000 Vivian Robinson Audelco Black Theatre Awards, Direc ...
.


References

1.NY Birth certificate June 21, 1900; WWI draft-card June 21, 1900; WWII draft-card June 21, 1900; 1925 NY State Census as of June 1, 1925 Joseph O. Kesselring age 24


External links


Joseph O. Kesselring writings, 1932-1970
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Situated between the Metropolitan O ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kesselring, Otto 1902 births 1967 deaths American people of German descent American vaudeville performers People from Kingston, New York Writers from New York City Bethel College (Kansas) faculty 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American people of Canadian descent