Event: Of Mirth and Mischief

Tune in!

Of Mirth will air in an edited format on MPR News on Friday, Dec 23rd at noon and on Christmas Eve, the 24 at 9pm. We will also broadcast on The Current on Christmas Day at 9pm. These broadcasts are a Christmas gift to the entire state of Minnesota!

Thanks for attending!

Here are some photos from the event:

Download the Mirth Soundtrack

Of Mirth and Mischief's soundtrack is a collection of music based on the stories of Kevin Kling, written and performed by Steve Kramer with vocals by Haley Bonar, James Diers, Jennifer Armour and Aby Wolf. And you can get it free for a limited time! Point at the song (or the soundtrack), right click, and select "save" to download it to your computer.

* Track 1. At The Hospital - Jennifer Armour

* Track 2. Finn - Haley Bonar

* Track 3. 7th Floor Ring Master (Instrumental)

* Track 4. Prince Charmin - James Diers

* Track 5. Only - Steve Kramer

* Track 6. Jingle Bells - James Diers, Aby Wolf

* Track 7. Crows - Haley Bonar

* Track 8. The King and Aye! - James Diers, Haley Bonar

* Track 9. Nighty Night To Brother - Haley Bonar, James Diers

* Bonus Mystery Track!

* Download the entire soundtrack

Our Mirth Holiday Photo Contest is closed

We invited you to submit your funny holiday photos for The Mirth Holiday Photo Contest! We'll be contacting the winners soon. See some examples:

Discover the Story

Of Mirth and Mischief is a story that takes place during Christmas in the 1960s when a four-year-old boy has an extended hospital stay. He moves between wounds and wellness, encountering a world of whimsical tales that come alive with winter fairies and magical elves ruling the dusk and dawn. The audience experiences holiday collisions of mirth and mischief through the boy's eyes as he befriends other hospitalized children. One by one, the doctors, nurses, and other children take on the personas of mythical beings until the boy finds his place by having a foot in two worlds, his best way to live life.

Playwright and storyteller, Kevin Kling, writes from his personal childhood experiences in Of Mirth & Mischief (Kevin was born with a birth defect to one arm and lost the use of his other arm in an accident). When his mother would remind Kevin that the scary noise under his bed was just his imagination, it only made things worse. It could be ANYTHING if it was his imagination: fairies, elves, and winter spirits!

Kevin's long time friend Steve Kramer, another well-known local artist who performed with '80s rockers The Wallets, wrote all new original music for Of Mirth and Mischief. Kevin and Steve both spent extended time in hospitals. Their mutual experience of medicated minds and confusion inspired the mischievous material presented here. Kramer is more recently known for his creative commercial compositions with Hest & Kramer Music on such clients as Target, MTV, and Converse.

Longtime friends, but first time collaborators, Kling and Kramer delivered a whole new take on the holidays. Kevin's original stories are the perfect match for Kramer's new music developed with Haley Bonar and James Diers, and performed by members of Halloween, Alaska.