Keith and the Theater of the Absurd

 

Keith at Barely Disfigured, October 2019

I've had some amazing neighbors in Brooklyn. There was Dale, our downstairs neighbor, and his partner Prageeta, on Sackett Street. Best friends before they left, for the West, and he left and Prageeta remembered. A few years ago, Keith and Jeremy moved across the street on Hoyt Street, adjacent to L. A lovely Southerner, I adored his drawl.  It really came out when he was drinking, talking about theater or his family or teaching. For a while there, he was everywhere, at all our parties, Norm's 50th, at his parties with Gene DJing, all our friends on hand, Mary M, L. Rob, Jeremy, Karina, Norm, and Greg.  Magic moments, up all night, chatting away, dancing, laughing, getting to know each other, talking about Charles Ludlam and the theater of the ridiculous, as our street became more and more bountiful. Under the guise of the ridiculous, we attempt the sublime, said Ludlam. And sometimes we got there.  When my brother showed up dressed as John McEnroe for Halloween, he joined us at Barely Disfigured, laughing, flirting, making light of the ridiculousness of it all. That's what I'll remember, those laughing moments.   He helped organize a party for Rob's 50th. And then the pandemic hit and it had to be canceled.  And connections become elusive. And then we lost track, only catching up here and there.  Things got serious. And then even more serious. And then a trip to the hospital.  A wave in the distance, a glimpse of an emergency truck. And then a slow goodbye into the living theater, between the absurd and joyous, a great neighbor who moved in, and had to move on before I really got to know him, here and then there, slipping, passing in time.  Thanks for being my friend Keith. Thanks for being my friend.

KEITH WINSTED OBITUARY

Keith Winsted of Brooklyn, NY, passed away peacefully on January 18, 2023 after a courageous, gracious battle with leukemia alongside his beloved partner, Jeremy Pagirsky.

Keith was born on August 9, 1965 in Russellville, Alabama, to Chester Winsted and Dorothy "Dot" Winsted Thomas n?e Green. Keith spent a defining chapter of his life earning his degree from the University of Montevallo, where he was a proud Purple, bringing his special magic to every aspect of the university's unique competitive-theatre homecoming tradition, College Night. Through many Purple victories, he found and cultivated a large, loving, tightly knit family of lifelong friends.

Keith earned an M.F.A. in Playwriting from the Actors Studio Drama Program at The New School. His plays include Cockfight, The Perils of Nadine, Reel to Real, and Not About Nathan. He was the recipient of the John Gassner Memorial Playwriting Award. Keith created, directed, and produced over 50 episodes of Mister New York (MRNY). MRNY is a short-form documentary series of interviews with people who galvanized Keith's innate curiosity into sharing their individual stories and spark with the world. This was especially apparent when he created an episode on his beloved aunts entitled The Green Girls.

Keith was a prolific actor on the screen in award-winning films and big-budget television commercials, but was most at home on the stage, collaborating with his peers to bring the works of his idols like Stephen Sondheim, Tennessee Williams, and Harvey Fierstein to life. When he began his teaching career in 2007, he inspired a generation of new theatre artists.

Keith was a beloved professor of playwriting, acting, and technical theatre at Borough of Manhattan Community College, with gushing reviews and a distinct "chili pepper" status on ratemyprofessor.com. The purpose of his teaching, both in and out of the classroom, was purely in service of others as equals. He began each semester by reading a Martha Graham quote to his students:

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost.

In 2015, he co-created and directed the CUNY Theatre Festival (CTF), a daylong event with CUNY-wide participation, now in its 8th year. CTF culminated in an evening of ten 10-minute plays, all written, acted, directed, and produced by CUNY students. Keith's fervent belief in the talent of his students and the value of their creative work was writ large during his stewardship of the festival.

Keith was a polymath who could seemingly do anything. Exuberant, curious, hilarious, wise-people were drawn to Keith and his magical presence. Keith became strikingly handsome as he aged. He was blessed with a devoted and intimate circle of friends that kept growing over the years. In 2015 Keith's life changed when he met the love of his life, Jeremy.

Keith is preceded in death by his dear mother, Dot Winsted; his father; mentor Francis Donnelly; and his chosen sister Johnna Doty. He is survived by his brother Barry (Mandy) and two nieces, Scarlett and Isabella; his paternal aunts and uncles, the Winsteds; his maternal aunts and uncles, the Greens, especially his Aunt Alice Dunnavant; a very strong circle of friends from New York to Los Angeles to Florida and Alabama; and his partner, Jeremy, whose tireless devotion over the past 10 months has been the very essence of love.

A memorial celebration of Keith's life will be held in New York in the spring. Donations to help cover expenses can be made at gofundme.com/f/keith-winsted. In lieu of flowers, curl your toes in the sand and breathe in the sea air, indulge in the second-most expensive bottle of ros?, sing along to your oldest favorite song at the top of your lungs (even if you've forgotten some of the words), throw your arms open wide, and love big.

Published by Legacy Remembers from Jan. 21 to Jan. 22, 2023.