Henry Miller Memorial Library Commissions New Play!
The bedrock of literary culture in Big Sur, California, the renowned non-profit Henry Miller Memorial Library has just commissioned the Kangalee Arts Ensemble to adapt, write, and perform a theatrical version of Miller’s exquisite parable of the artist’s struggle, “The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder” - about a clown who wants to give audiences “eternal joy.” Presented by J. Stock Productions, this new play shall premiere during the Henry Miller in the 21st Century Symposium this fall!
The space between Activist, Dancer, & Poet is inhabited by the Clown: In October 2025, Dennis Leroy Kangalee returns to the solitary spotlight of a stage in SMILE: A Clown’s Ascension, a solo play co-written by author Magus Magnus and adapted from Henry Miller’s “The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder.” Continuing his “investigations of a clown” — which began with Krapp’s Last Tape, Kangalee promises to leap into the cosmic void with this new project…attempting to express just a fraction of that remarkable, but tormenting, desire that artist’s possess and is undeniable: to “break on through” and touch the lives of an audience by transcending them. Only a clown and poet are foolish to even risk such things. [Photo by Kofi Yeboah]
“The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder” is one of the most haunting and personal works of all of Henry Miller’s remarkable writings. Produced by J. Stock Productions in full conjunction with the Henry Miller Memorial Library (and blessings of the Miller estate and New Directions) — Dennis Leroy Kangalee begins work on the script this month, with poet Magus Magnus, author of Idylls for a Bare Stage. Smile brings their admiration for Samuel Beckett’s fastidious absurdism, Miller’s voracious passions, the enigma of all that is spiritual, and their uncanny understanding of the Holy Fool — the Clown! - in all its forms. A meditation on acting, a riddle about art, and a gentle warning for those who seek truth, this shall be a monologue like no other: a solo performance by DENNIS LEROY KANGALEE as he ends one phase of his work and enters a new one. This special live performance of SMILE: A Clown’s Ascension shall kick off the official Henry Miller in the 21st Century Symposium October 15, 2025 in Pacific Grove, California.
Stay tuned for updates, venue locations, performance dates, etc.
Applying the “maquillage”: Dennis Leroy Kangalee shall return to the terrain of the clown…this time in Henry Miller’s world, not Samuel Beckett’s…and hopefully in between them both, he will offer a glimpse of his own.
