Meet Forest Kinsey

We were lucky to catch up with Forest Kinsey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Forest, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I think creativity dies when one concerns themself with perfectionism and standardization, so, to keep creativity alive, I tend to do the opposite of these. Art is subjective, there’s always something one can do to alter or “improve” a piece- this goes for everything from an unpublished sketch to a blockbuster film. I like the phrase “If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.” It affirms the momentum behind creativity- if I truly feel an idea is worth bringing to life in this world, then lack of confidence, skill, funds, etc. shouldn’t extinguish that spark of creativity. Myself, I’m constantly coming up with new stories and concepts, storing them away in the haphazardly organized notes on my computer. I find, if an idea is worth exploring, it’ll resurface and come to fruition eventually.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a comedy writer and show producer, currently working with The Bird Comedy Theater, one of KC’s most innovative theaters; it’s been voted KC’s Best Comedy Club for a few years running. I also produce independent films and videos for local comedians, musicians, and theater groups, working in part with media groups ManaSharc Productions, IX Film Productions, and more. My work across stages and screen emphasizes humor, surrealist imagery, and the integration of multimedia elements in live productions.

My active projects include The Anarchy Fun Time Show, KC’s only monthly sketch comedy show, which I co-direct with my writing partner Cody Lindenberger. We’re known for our success at KC Fringe, with 2024’s Sketches from the Fourth Dimension garnering Best Original Script and 2025’s An Anarchy Heist Show earning Best of Venue, the latter of which I directed independently. Both shows were met with critical and audience acclaim. I regularly experiment with live and filmed projects, most of which premiere at The Bird Comedy Theater as well as in local film festivals, including Bird Watching Film Festival and the KC Underground Film Fest.

In the Autumn of this year, I will be launching a series of classes on creative writing, theater production, and filmmaking with the intent on facilitating new works, creative partnerships, and increasing confidence in community arts efforts. These classes will be online and in person, lead by myself, and in accordance with an emerging community-focused arts organization I am forming with local peers. In addition to my educational aspirations, I am open to new opportunities to write and produce novel works in Kansas City and beyond, and would love to help others achieve their creative visions on stage and screen.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

For writing and producing for stage and screen, I find it essential to embrace unconventional ideas. For this, one must have thorough knowledge of what conventions exist, e.g. the structure of a pop narrative, perceived limits of stage design, speed of transitions for actors and edits. In my experience, knowing what exists is a great help to dreaming up what doesn’t. A lot of unconventional ideas sound stupid or weird at face value, but all are worth exploring. For instance, doing 50 random challenges and/or sketches over the course of a late night show with no set ending is a bad idea- until you do it, and it becomes a yearly holiday staple on April Fools Day.

I tend to struggle when abstract ideas are left undefined; I have no idea how to simply make an award-winning show. However, defining what a project is, what its goals are, and the minutiae of each benchmark in the process turns an unobtainable goal into a simple set of steps. Well, simple may be a stretch, but it’s nigh impossible to will a feature film into existence while it’s doable to plot a script, recruit actors, rent a location, draw up storyboards, film, and finally edit together one.

Finally, I’d be nowhere without the community of actors, writers, filmmakers, comedians, and theater managers I have found. Sure, you can make great things in isolation, but it’s so much easier with the help of friends- plus, you’ll constantly discover new ideas and solutions around other creatives. Form or find peers whom you like to be around. Art is like life- tedious and meaningless without friends.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I am absolutely looking for folks to collaborate with! I would love the opportunity to write and create for others’ productions, especially those with a background or interest in the business-side of theater, comedy, and filmmaking. I’m currently studying and growing my own organizational and financial skills, but would love to learn from others’ experiences. I’m also entirely excited to work on experimental or comedy works, especially those with ambitious themes or styles.

If a reader is interested in collaborating, they should feel free to reach out over Instagram’s Messenger or by sending me an email. I respond pretty reliably to both- email more so.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Michael Stoufer

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