“Dennis Leroy Kangalee expressed both the spirit of Henry Miller and the angst of his hero-clown Auguste!.”

- Henry Miller Memorial Library

Art is blood.

A smile is holy.

The state is horror.

And the clown refuses to die.

Continuing our “Investigations of a Clown” concept which began with the ceaseless workshopping of Beckett’s early and late monologues, Kangalee Arts now creates a new mono-drama that fuses the personal, the political and the poetic. 

PERFORMED BY DENNIS LEROY KANGALEE

DIRECTED BY MAGUS MAGNUS

WRITTEN BY KANGALEE & MAGNUS

This haunting tale about a clown who wishes to imbue everlasting joy to his audience is a heartbreaking parable of the artist's struggle in a society that refuses both joy…and love.

Poster design by Bill Mazza

[Artwork by Dani Kriatura, 2025]

Photo by Susan Kingsland

This radical adaptation Henry Miller's short story THE SMILE AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER Presented by J Stock Productions and the Henry Miller Memorial Library: is the first time in the United States where a play will be staged based on the work of Henry Miller - with approval from the Henry Miller Estate!

Photo by Alex Kotrodimos

[Artwork by Brian Alessandro 2025]