As part of its new Readers Theatre Project, Madison Street Theatre (MST) is premiering my new one-act play, In re Reinhold Kulle. The staged reading will feature a dozen local performers.
The Nazis, like our Greatest Generation, have mostly passed on, now. But if you were once talking to someone of a certain age who spoke with a German accent, you might have wondered.
What if I were to tell you not only that I knew a Nazi, but so did many of my high school classmates and teachers. And we really liked the guy!
As Wednesday Journal has covered, and as detailed in a recent book by a former Oak Park and River Forest High School teacher (Our Nazi by Michael Soffer), Reinhold Kulle was the head custodian of the night shift at my alma mater, Oak Park and River Forest High School, back in the 1970s and early ’80s. Attending OPRF, I participated in both sports and theater after school, so I often ran into him, and we formed something of a social friendship. He had a quick and warm smile, and would usually say something like “Not making a mess, are vie?” or “Behafe yourzelf.” I’m not saying we were close, but I liked the guy and somehow I felt we connected.
Pretty much the whole school liked Reinhold Kulle. The faculty were used to his years of excellent service, making sure classrooms were clean and that everything was provided for after-school activities. He was an exemplary employee who had raised a family in the U.S. The staff liked his quiet disciplinary style and the twinkle in his eyes which was charming. And I guess disarming.
I knew he had served in the German Army during World War II. What I didn’t know — what none of us knew — was that Reinhold had been a member of the Schutzstaffel, the infamous “SS.” And this member of the Totenkopfdivision (the “Death’s Head” Division) had — after having been wounded on the Russian front — served as a Guard at a Concentration Camp.
My play treats the community’s reaction to the news and the dual proceedings (deportation and local school board meetings) that ensued when Kulle’s past was discovered. (Spoiler alert here, it kind of tore Oak Park apart for a while.) The play raises important questions about forgiveness and the ability of people of different opinions and beliefs to engage in respectful conversation (questions that are surely relevant today!).
For Madison Street Theatre, this is the first in a series featuring original play readings, some of which focus on Oak Park and some on other topics. Tina Reynolds, MST’s artistic director, and I, an MST board member, are looking forward to sharing the area’s playwriting talent with the community.
“In re Reinhold Kulle,” by Kevin Bry, will be performed as a staged reading at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 26, at Madison Street Theatre, 1010 Madison St., Oak Park. Admission is free (donation to the theater is appreciated).
