Charles Edward Kerbs
by Lyla Hay Owen
Born Aug. 8, 1940 to his beautiful mother Rose in New Orleans. Died Mar. 4, 2002 in New Orleans of pneumonia, taken from his lover of eighteen years, Jeffrey Johnson, and from all of us who love him.
I knew Charles Kerbs, as a fellow artist whom I loved for thirty-eight years.
I first learned about Art, Opera, Acting, Laughter, and Love from Charles. This conjoined to equal what I came to know as The Creative Experience. He was always ready to teach, to share his expansive knowledge.
Charles knew much about the subtleties of life and laughter. He knew how to love you, how to love his own lover, Jeffrey Johnson, and your lovers, too. Along his way, Charles taught a lot of other artists and friends through his art, his plays and writings.
He was a writer who never stopped writing plays, novels, songs and short stories. He thought like a writer about everything and everyone.
When we first met in 1964, he was conducting the acting workshop for Free Southern Theater at the Jackson Avenue YMCA. At the time I only knew I wanted to be on stage. Charles taught me that acting, REAL acting was about edifying the human condition, one's own condition. Getting inside yourself and finding what little truth might be lurking there.
As a kid he sang and drew to please himself and his wonderful mother, Rose. Later while in high school, he painted murals at Easton High School Cafeteria, then gorgeous Art Nouveau murals at D.H. Holmes's restaurant on Bourbon St. Countless other works of art and murals adorn the homes of the fortunate art lovers who knew Charles and his work. His posters for theatrical events and Mardi Gras balls are unforgettable.
There are those who know his art work from that of MATT's, a nom de plume of Charles. As MATT, Charles also drew marvelous comic strips for national and international magazines. MATT also created one-of-a-kind homoerotic art drawings that have received shows in galleries around the world. His MATT posters are well known collectibles.
After acting workshop sessions for Free Southern Theatre ended, in early 1965, Charles and I convinced one another to audition for Gallery Circle Theatre's production of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Both he and I were cast, Charles in the leading role as Finch and I as Hedy LaRue.
Charles left for Manhattan when the show closed. He decided to pursue not only a career as an actor, but as a playwright as well. Those were the years when Off-Broadway was burgeoning. His early one act plays were produced alongside of those of Sam Shepard and others from the short-lived and now famous Cafe Cino in the Village. He worked with the Becks, a highly influential theatre group of the time and also at La Mama. All the while, Charles supported himself designing fabrics, and for a wallpaper firm designing patterns. Rose subsidized his meager income whenever she could.
Here in New Orleans, a play of Charles' was produced at Le Mise en Scene, to which Rose and I trooped to see during its two night run. Little else encouraging was happening for him, either in N.O. or NYC.
In 1970,I, along with several others formed our own theatre, People Playhouse. I began encouraging Charles to send scripts of his. He did. We produced some, and then I began to encourage him to move back and become our Playwright in Residence. Charles headed back home to New Orleans.
The following nine years in New Orleans found Charles productive and happy. His plays were being produced. It was during this period that he also worked in display at D.H. Holmes where he designed their famous Art Nouveau mural and helped design and produce animated Christmas windows, Easter displays, and art galore.
It was at this time that Charles designed his legendary costumes and posters for many of New Orleans Gay Carnival balls, wonderful examples of glamour and fantasy. Most recently he did Petronius' costumes and a poster for their 2001 Bal Masque.
The last year of his life, 2001, was spent with his return to theatre. He worked with his new theatre group, Gay DRAMA! with Charlie Hayes in their performance space located in Cowpokes on St. Claude. Charles performed in the first production last spring in tandem with a Tennessee Williams one-act.
A recent second production featured a wonderfully amusing play of his, Midgets from Uranus.
Charles was a brilliant and witty conversationalist, a raconteur, witness his Friday ritual of Happy Hour meetings with friends. He sat smiling at the world, happily surrounded by friends and admirers, each vying with Charles as to who would buy the next and yet the next round of drinks.
Charles Kerbs was the quintessence of the Artist, New Orleans style. It was a privilege to have known and loved him, and to have had thirty-eight years of dialogues with him.
GOOD NIGHT SWEET PRINCE...THE SINE QUA NON OF MY ARTISTIC LIFE! ADIEU!
[Note: There will be a Memorial for Charles Kerbs on Sun., Mar. 24, at 1pm at Cowpokes Barn, 1030 Marigny St.]
Kelly Duane Lauber 1959-2002
Austinite Kelly Duane Lauber, 42, a systems administrator for D.S.T. Innovis for 12 years, passed away this past Feb. 2 in Austin, TX. Kelly was born on Sept. 11, 1959 in Kinsley, Kansas. The son of Clara May Lauber and Lester F. Lauber, he loved camping, woodworking, and the company of good friends.
Survivors include his life companion of 13 years, John Butler of Austin, mother, May Lauber, of Arlington, TX, father, Lester Lauber of Kinsley, KS, sisters Cynthia Menchaca and husband Eddie of Bryan, TX; Gina Bauers and husband James of Port Angeles, WA; brothers Darren Lauber and wife Stacey of Arlington, TX, Charles and wife Julie of Topeka, KS, and eight nieces and nephews.
Should friends desire, memorials may be made to Meals on Wheels of Austin, TX (512.475.6325), PO Box 6248, Austin, TX 78762-6248 in memory of Kelly Duane Lauber.
God's Speed Kelly.
