Carl Cherry Center for the Arts

SMILE: A Clown’s Ascension
2025-10-16 - 2025-10-18 | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
For the first time in the United States, Henry Miller’s luminous parable, “The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder” comes to life on stage in a bold new adaptation: SMILE: A Clown’s Ascension.
An Event to Remember
This is not just another play — it is a once-in-a-lifetime convergence of literature and theater. It is a threshold where architecture shelters imagination, where laughter deepens into joy. Years from now, the question will be asked: Were you there?
Performances are Thursday, October 16th through Saturday, October 18th at 7:30 pm, and a matinee on Saturday, October 18th at 2pm. Tickets are $40, available on Eventbrite.com using the links below. Due to language and subject matter, the play is suggested for 14 and up.
October 16 – Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel (7:30 pm)
October 17 – Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel (7:30 pm)
October 18 – Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel (2:00 pm)
October 18– Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel (7:30 pm)
Presented, not coincidentally, during the international symposium Henry Miller in the 21st Century — already described by one writer as “Live Aid for Miller aficionados”—this production promises to be one of the highlights of the cultural season.
About the Play
At the center of SMILE: A Clown’s Ascension is Auguste, a world-famous circus clown known for his smile of mystic bliss. Yet fame leaves him unsatisfied. He yearns to give audiences more than laughter — he longs to offer them nothing less than everlasting joy. What could be more fitting, or more impossible, for a clown?
Where pantomime, music, and performance merge into one luminous gesture. Inspired by the cubist painter Fernand Léger — whose postwar circus imagery inspired and accompanied Miller’s fable, reinforcing its parable-like quality — this adaptation reimagines a modern fable as a living parable for our times.
The Creative Team

Dennis Leroy Kangalee — Actor/Writer, starring as Auguste. A celebrated radical artist known for his uncompromising passion and truth.
Magus Magnus — Co-Writer & Director. Poet, playwright, and visionary of Poets Theater with a record of staging works in groundbreaking spaces.
Justine Stock — Producer (J. Stock Productions). A seasoned producer and arts advocate bringing over 20 years of theatrical experience. She is the managing director and co-founder of New Canon Theatre Co.

Don’t Miss This Moment
The performance is more than a play. It is the beginning of something that may resonate for years to come: a unique collaboration, a meeting of artistic giants, and a cultural landmark of lasting importance.
Seating is limited. History will only be made once.
Be there.
Content Disclosure:
SMILE: A Clown’s Ascension is appropriate for ages 14 & up. It contains thoughts of suicide, strong language, violence, racism, and loud bang that may be distressing to some audience members.
