Kermit Sheets

Louis Kermit Sheets (14 August 1915 – 6 April 2006) was an actor, director, playwright and an artistic partner with poet James Broughton.

World War II During World War II, Sheets served as a conscientious objector for four years, first in Civilian Public Service Camp no. 21 at Wyeth, Oregon, and then in Camp Angel near Waldport, Oregon, where he became part of a gifted group of artists, writers, and performers. In 1943 he was one of the founders of the Untide Press, which attempted to bring poetry to the public in an inexpensive but attractive format. Co-founders were writer William Everson, editor William Eshelman and architect and printer Kemper Nomland. He became a close friend of Kemper Nomland. Both men shared interest in graphical design, illustration and publication layout, although Sheets was primarily interested in theater and Norland in architecture.

Some members of this group formed a repertory known as the Interplayers after the war. Led by Sheets, the group produced and performed plays in various theaters until they obtained a home in a champagne warehouse in North Beach, San Francisco.

Film and theater

Kermit Sheets acted in the short films Loony Tom (1951), The Pleasure Garden (1953) and The Bed (1968), all directed by James Broughton. The Pleasure Garden was nominated for a BAFTA award and won the Best Fantastic-Poetic Film award at Cannes. British actor and later director Lindsay Anderson was among the cast members. Returning from Europe in 1955, Sheets became managing director of the San Francisco Playhouse, a position he held until the early 1960s. In 1965 Kermit married Jane Steckle, who was to be his partner for the next 34 years. Sheets was director of the Center at the Lighthouse for the Blind from 1970 to 1980. He continued to write novels and short stories after retiring.