Maxine Kern

Dramaturg
New York, New York USA

I find my inspiration in nature, in lively-minded theater and the arts. I find my inspiration in the streets of New York, “rain or shine.”

My favorite play has remained The Bald Soprano by Eugene Ionesco. In it the Fireman runs into the smug living room of a middle class English family named the Smiths, “looking for a fire.” He announces his desire to find a fire and his intention to “teach you how to live!” It also has a maid who deciphers for the audience the mysteries of who “The Smiths and their guests The Martins” really are, announcing that “My real name is Sherlock Holmes!” Theater of the Absurd was funny in the 60’s when I first worked with it, today it is the nature of it all.

I dream of having all the time I ever need to do playwriting and to have theaters wanting to produce my plays: lovely small theaters and large theaters galore.

My best escape is finding time without end to write, to be in the woods or at the beach, to be with children, grandchildren, my lover Avi, sharing our best food, stories and dreams. I’ve always been a Dramamama, only now it’s called a Dramaturg. I’m the virtual daughter of Gertrude Stein.

Maxine Kern is Resident Dramaturg for DiverseCity Theater and The Negro Ensemble Theater. Her dramaturgy includes As it is in Heaven by Arlene Hutton, 3 Graces Theatre; Savannah Black and Blue by Raymond Jones, NEC; The Book of Lambert by Leslie Lee, La MaMa, For the Time Being by W.H. Auden, Affinity Theatre, CSC and Symphony Space.