In Memoriam: Craig Kanne
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November 5, 1961 – October 8, 2024
Craig R. Kanne, age 62, of Austin, Texas passed away on Tuesday, October 8, 2024.Craig was born on November 5, 1961, in Marshalltown, Iowa. He was a graduatefrom St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas with a BA in Theater Arts, 1993.Craig was a talented actor with a lengthy resume of performances from his stageand film work. He had a wonderful talent for vocal impersonations especially oflegendary comedians and screen actors such as Jack Benny, Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, Henry Fonda, Walter Brennan, George Burns, Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi, Groucho Marx, Boris Karloff, James Mason, as well as Truman Capote, Bob Dylan, David Brinkley, Richard Nixon, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and a myriad of others.
His theater career included collaborations with many Austin theater companies: Mary Moody Northen Theatre, Different Stages, Austin Playhouse, City Theatre, Central Texas Children’s Theatre, Children of Light Players, Freddy Carnes Productions, Capital City Playhouse, Project Interact at Zachary Scott Theatre, Live Oak Theatre, Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation, Deus ex Machina, The VORTEX, Pollyanna Theatre Company, Ground Floor Theatre and so many more. Craig also performed with the City of Austin’s Dowser Dan School AssemblyProgram delivering the message of water conservation to thousands of elementary school students.
Craig was preceded in death by his parents Reuben Kanne and Linda Bailey Kanne and is survived by his aunt Clarice Thompson and several cousins.
Posted by Angel Funeral Home, Austin
From Mary Alice Carnes:
Celebrating the life of our dear Craig Kanne, Saturday, November 9, 2024, 2 - 3:30 p.m.
The program begins at 2 p.m. at Genesis Creative Collective/City Theatre, 1507 Wilshire Blvd. Austin 78722.
GoFundMe appeal to help cover Craig Kanne's final expenses
(photos collected by CTXLiveTheatre from many online postings and features)
Among the many spontaneous tributes to Craig:
From Robert Farris, Austin:
Like so many members of Austin's theatre community, I'm mourning the loss of Craig Kanne, Man of a Thousand Voices. Curiously, one of the first projects I ever worked with Craig on (could it have been the only one?) was not a play but a movie: the locally made, shot-on-a-fraying-shoestring, grade-Z knockoff of The Warriors AND Porky's, FUTURE-KILL. I had all of two brief scenes in it, but as Craig and I played members of rival fraternities (!), my scenes were with Craig, and we spent a fair amount of time on set together.
We bonded quickly, though not over theatre. Our shared love of that was like a given and didn't need to be mentioned. No, we talked about old movies and comedy – mostly comedians from Hollywood's Golden Age but also Firesign Theatre – and no matter who we discussed, Craig could do a voice for it. He was a remarkable impressionist, and one of my favorite things about him was his skill at mimicking stars from the Forties.
I never saw him outright imitate one of those stars in a performance onstage, but he had spent so much time studying their work that he could channel their style into his work – his bearing, his gestures, his diction, his dialects, his movement, his interaction with his fellow actors, and above all, his sense of comedy and comic timing, had the crispness and discipline of his old-school cinematic idols.
He looked as if he had been plucked off the lot of some Warner Bros. or MGM picture in the 1940s. He was a classic supporting actor, and that is no faint praise; for those of us who grew watching old movies, those supporting actors were a treasure, performers who elevated every picture they were in. The same with Craig and the theatre productions he was in.
Thank you for all you added to our scene, Craig, as an actor and as a human being. You have left us too soon, and you shall be missed. Flights of angels sing thee to thy rest, as Jimmy Stewart or James Mason or Cary Grant or whatever voice pleases you.
Craig Kanne Appearances – A Far from Complete Resumé
with Press Clips from CTXLiveTheatre.com and Austin Chronicle
I'm Not Rappaport, Live Oak Theatre, 1988
Tom Parker: Craig's wonderful performance as Danforth [. . .] His portrayal of the nervous, blustering, easily duped building manager was absolutely brilliant.
The Tavern, company not given, 1995 Austin Critics Table nomination for lead actor in a comedy (Austin Chronicle article)
Radio Scrooge, Hyde Park Theatre, 1997
Adrienne Martini, Austin Chronicle: All the actors have rich voices and use them with skill and panache. Craig Kanne's comic bits of business with his plethora of characters contrasts well with Travis Dean's staid narrator.
Tales of Terror, Movements Gallery,1998
J.C. Shakespeare, Austin Chronicle: [T]here are moments throughout the show in which certain actors truly shine. [. . .] Craig Kanne once again shows that he is one of the more versatile character actors around; his portrayal of an odd spiritualist plays nicely off Jeff Shaevel's dying writer in "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar," and he gives a splendid rendition of "The Raven" as an Act Two intermezzo.
The Whimsy, Public Domain, 1998
Robert Faires, Austin Chronicle: Craig Kanne is hysterical as the Book's author, full of surprises and able to fully convey each and every one with his droll voice and mild-mannered appearance.
Either Betrayal, The Public Domain or The Homecoming, Pause productions 1999
[Craig Kanne’s name appears in keywords but not in the text of Sarah Hepola’s joint review in th Austin Chronicle]
Pigman in the Old West, Freddy Carnes Productions, 1999 or 2000
Future-Kill, Roadie [film], 2001
Faith Healer, Big Bad Wolf Productions, 2002
Rob Curran, Austin Chronicle: Craig Kanne, who plays Teddy the loveable Cockney manager, supplies sorely needed laughs. Adding gusto to the tale of a whippet who could play the bagpipe, Kanne's Teddy saves the play from a maudlin atmosphere.
Lysistrata Project, 2003
The Marriage of Miss Hollywood and King Neptune, University of Texas Department of Theatre and Dance, 2005
Appointment with Death, Different Stages, 2005
Patti Hadad, Austin Chronicle: The most charming aspect of the show is the characters, most notably the Poirot stand-in, the amiable Dr. Gerard (Craig Kanne, who took the role four days before opening but had mastered the majority of his lines and blocking by the end of opening weekend)
The Miser, City Theatre Company, 2007
Barry Pineo, Austin Chronicle: Craig Kanne gets to have fun in two roles, both of which require him to adapt a broad physicalization, and in one of those roles he appears to be dressed like the mustachioed moneybags character from Monopoly.
Getting Married, Different Stages, 2008
Craig Kanne as brother Reginald has a decisiveness, exuberance and comic timing very much like those of American actor/writer Wallace Shawn, whom he somewhat resembles. And he has a fine way of flapping the tail of his morning coat to emphasize his pique.
Laughter on the 23rd Floor, City Theatre Company, 2009
Craig Kanne's Russian accent and impatient demeanor are fun, especially when Lebelle's character rags him for his inability to pronounce correctly the most common of English four-letter expletives.
Good Things, Renaissance Austin, 2009
Craig Kanne as shop volunteer Fraser is the face of decent humanity, but he pops up also as Susan's unrepentant former husband Tony, complete with toupee. He transforms into various quirky visitors to the shop, into Susan's father wandering bathrobe-clad in early dementia, into a flower delivery man, and into the classic unflappable policeman investigating an accident.
Murdered to Death, Sam Bass Community Theatre, 2009
And then there's Craig Kanne's deliciously inebriated butler, Bunting. Did he do it? Kanne is stiff in the joints when almost sober and he's admirably inclined, flexible and gregarious when not sober at all.
Sordid Lives, Sam Bass Community Theatre, 2009
The guy actors tempt one to say that appearing stupid is no work at all : we enjoy Craig Kanne as the legless Vietnam vet wonder, Gene Storie as the sparkle-eyed barkeep still in love with "BrotherBoy" and David Dunlap as the simpleton wrapped up in stupid stories and tricks with twine.
The Odyssey: A Rock Musical, Freddy Carnes Productions
Elizabeth Cobbe, Austin Chronicle: Craig Kanne (Eumaios) and J.R. Zambrano (Eurymachus) stand out among the cast as actors who add actual character to their roles, who discover something interesting in their parts. That's tough to do when the dialogue lacks distinction in voice and tone from one character to the next and when there appears to be a lack of direction. Actors stand about delivering lines and debating without moving, and group scenes feel haphazard and messy.
Spider’s Web, Different Stages, 2010
Craig Kanne as [Clarissa’s] former guardian Sir Rowland Delahaye speaks consistently for common sense and decency and is quite outmanned.
The Crucible, Renaissance Austin, 2010
Craig Kanne as the excitable Rev. Parris is given to hand wringing and expostulation that do not seem in keeping with his office.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, abridged, Chaotic Theatre Company, 2011
Black, Kanne and Stone-Robb are simultaneously enthusiastic and enthralling. They know their parts and speak the speech trippingly on their tongues, not mouthing it as some do: nor will they be seen sawing the air with their hands. Rather, they use all gently in the whirlwind of their passions, thus acquiring a temperance that gives it smoothness. Though it be madness there is method in it . . . .
Guest Artist, Paradox Productions, 2011
Craig Kanne as the ticket master provides grumbly comic relief, long-winded bus announcements, officious loudspeaker reprimands and, as required, covert pint bottles of liquor at outrageous prices.
Wit, 2012, City Theatre Company
Craig Kanne is the brisk cancer researcher Dr. Kelekian, ready to subject this patient to debilitating chemo research. That portrait of indifference is balanced by the brief, engagng moment when Kanne drifts through Bearing's memories as her father teaching her to read.
And Then There Were None, Austin Playhouse, 2013
Craig Kanne as the neurologist is intentionally something of a flibberty nervous mess.
Quills, Different Stages, 2013
Jillian Owens, Austin Chronicle: As the flamboyant de Sade, Craig Kanne must be applauded for sheer guts – there aren't many local actors-of-a-certain-age who could be enlisted to parade around in their birthday suits for half a play. Kanne's performance is certainly a labor of love, but played at counterpoint with the deep emotional center that Joe Hartman found in the earnest Abbé, the Marquis sometimes feels like a caricature.
Cuchulain, The Vortex, 2014
Liberty! Equality! and Fireworks, Polyanna Theatre Company, 2014
The Cowboy from Corona, Hourglass Productions, 2014
Farce of Nature, City Theatre Company, 2014
Pygmalion, Different Stages, 2014
Higgins’ funding source and foil was Col. Pickering, well-heeled, genteel, and late of Army service in India. He also had a heart and offered some protection to Eliza when Higgins became too harsh. He was played by Craig Kanne, always a finalist in the flat-out best actor in Austin contest.
Much Ado About Nothing, Present Company, 2014
Craig Kanne radiates calm simplicity both as co-host Antonio and as the earnest but comically slow watchman.
Waiting for Godot, Sam Bass Community Theatre, 2015
Kanne's Gogo lives from moment to moment and from word to word, ever capable of surprise and enchanted by mystery.
Mauritius, Different Stages, 2015
Dracula, Different Stages, 2015
Love’s Labor’s Lost, Present Company Theatre, 2015
And then there are the hopeless pedants, Ann Hulsman as Holofernes and Craig Kanne as Sir Nathaniel — it’s somehow reassuring to think that even 425 years after Shakespeare’s time it’s easy to imagine the groves of academe populated with cuckoo birds.
She Stoops to Conquer, Austin Playhouse, 2015
The House on Haunted Hill, 2015
Austin theatre veteran Craig Kanne as property owner Watson Pritchard leads the cast and the audience through the details of the story premises and all the dark corners of the mansion, itself very much a lead character in the show. Beware the steaming acid vat in the basement. Kanne’s character is a staggering rentier drunk who makes the audience wonder how many quarts his pocket flask and he can hold. Pritchard also takes pride of place in enacting the horror cliché of holding a candelabrum high while leading a character group through a mansion in a power blackout. Plastered but clear in the head, Kanne’s Pritchard serves the structural role of exposition while uttering dire, unheeded warnings that set the audience on the path to fear. As a character with clouded, alcoholic perceptions, Pritchard establishes a blind-leading-the-blind leadership style that is ultimately illuminating. Only actors with Kanne’s skills can convey these subtleties and contradictions Kanne makes it all look fun, and he is not above the occasional bizarre, unexplained scythe-fight.
The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Paradox Players, 2016
And Then There Were None, Tex-Arts, 2016
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, En Route Productions, 2016
Dutifully tertiary and quick to disappear at the final crisis are Craig Kanne as the uncomfortable Dr. Baugh and Weldon Phillips as the Uriah-Heepish Baptist pastor.
The Noisy Neighbors, or The Square (Il Campiello), Different Stages, 2017
The visiting nobleman is the unlikely Craig Kanne, who if anything is the opposite of the typical Latin lover, a fellow who's delighted to compliment, party and treat every woman like a princess.
Great Expectations, Different Stages, 2018
Shakespeare in Love, Austin Playhouse, 2018
Junk, Street Corner Arts, 2019
The Spoon River Project, City Theatre Company, 2021
Heartbreak House, Different Stages, 2022
The Diviners, Deus ex Machina, date not given
It’s Only a Play, City Theatre Company, October 20 -November 5, 2023