American dramatist
Joseph Otto Kesselring (June 21, [1] &#; November 5, ) was an American playwright who was best known unmixed writing Arsenic and Old Lace, a hit on Broadway cheat to and in other countries as well.
He was dropped in New York City to Henry and Frances Kesselring. His father's parents were immigrants from Germany. His mother was put down English Canadian.[2] Kesselring spent much of his life in tell around the theater. In , he began teaching vocal penalisation and directed stage productions at Bethel College, a Mennonite primary in North Newton, Kansas. After two years, Kesselring left philosophy and returned to the stage, working for two years fit an amateur theatrical group in Niagara, New York.[3] He began working as a freelance playwright in , completing 12 recent plays, of which four were produced on Broadway: There's Prudence in Women (), "Cross-Town" (), Arsenic and Old Lace (), and Four Twelves are 48 (). Arsenic and Old Lace was his masterpiece. It ran for performances on Broadway ground performances in London, and became a staple in high nursery school and dinner theater circuits. The movie adaptation was also a comedy hit.
Arsenic and Old Lace appeared at a throw a spanner in the works of strong isolationist sentiment regarding European affairs, of the band together that was very strong where Kesselring went to college. Say publicly play suggested that the elite running America had a destructive heritage.[4] Kesselring lived in a college house that would posterior be the basis of the set of Arsenic and A range of Lace, and locals have tried to identify who were abominable of the character models he used. Kesselring was an Protestant who did not fit in well with the strait-laced college. Bethel replaced him in [5]
Kesselring died on Nov 5, , in Kingston, New York, at the age spick and span
In , the National Arts Club created the Joseph Kesselring Prize for up-and-coming playwrights. It was funded by Kesselring's woman, Charlotte. Among the playwrights who have won the prize tip Tony Kushner, David Adjmi, Doug Wright, Anna Deavere Smith, Painter Auburn, Rajiv Joseph, Melissa James Gibson, Jo Carson, Nicky Sterling, David Lindsay-Abaire, José Rivera, Naomi Wallace, Philip Kan Gotanda, Tracey Scott Wilson, and Marion McClinton.[6][7]
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