Rainn Wilson, Dwight on 'The Office,' coming to Door Kinetic Arts Festival

BAILEYS HARBOR - Rainn Wilson, famous for his portrayal of Dwight Schrute on hit TV series “The Office,” is coming to the Door Kinetic Arts Festival in June. Also coming to the festival is Wilson's wife, Holiday Reinhorn, a noted author and short story writer.

Wilson will be in residence developing a screenplay based on the life of writer Stetson Kennedy and his mission to bring down the Ku Klux Klan. Reinhorn will lead a writing workshop and hold a book signing at which Wilson will read from her work.

The third annual festival, running June 10-15 at Bjorklunden, will feature short films, a new play reading, a new dance piece from 2017 DKAF veterans Lucky Plush Productions, and a reading of the screenplay Wilson is developing.

Wilson is best known for his portrayal of the absurdly intense, goofball nerd Dwight, who he played for eight years on the “The Office,” earning three Emmy Award nominations along the way. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University and spent years in Broadway and regional theater before venturing into television (“Six Feet Under”) and film (“Almost Famous”).

Wilson also founded the media company SoulPancake, known for the best-selling book of the same name and the website that explores philosophy, creativity and spirituality.

Wilson’s screenplay subject, Kennedy, was a quixotic, colorful journalist and human rights activist who daringly went under cover with the KKK in Georgia in an attempt to learn their secrets and ultimately weaken the Klan. He formed a secret alliance with the makers of the “Superman” radio show, feeding them details of the KKK to incorporate into a storyline in which Superman fought the “Clan.” These and other efforts brought shame and ridicule upon the Klan and greatly diminished its influence.

Reinhorn is known for her acclaimed book “Big Cats” and many published stories in literary magazines. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines and anthologies, and she has taught creative writing at universities and in community programs, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In 2009, Wilson and Reinhorn visited Haiti and returned with Dr. Kathryn Adams to facilitate a U.N. funded program, Girls United, after the earthquake of 2010. Soon after, they co-founded LIDE, a community-based educational initiative in rural Haiti that empowers at-risk women and girls through literacy and the arts.

Eric Simonson founded the festival in 2016 to offer performing artists from a variety of media the opportunity to come together, collaborate, develop projects, present work and exchange ideas in the process of developing new work. He partnered with Door County acting teacher, actor and arts consultant Alan Kopischke to launch and produce the dynamic creative incubator.

For more information, call Kopischke at 920-370-1034, go to www.doorkinetic.com or email alan.kopischke@gmail.com.