Mark Twain News

Pear Theatre inaugurates its 2015/2016 season in a brand new space with the World Premiere of The Walls of Jericho.  The Pear's own Artistic Director, Diane Tasca, has created this stage adaptation of the short story "Night Bus," by Samuel Hopkins Adams, the delightful romantic comedy from 1933 that also inspired the classic film, "It Happened One Night."

This September and October, 54 Below presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street.

Unbound Productions Executive Director Jonathan Josephson, Artistic Director Paul Millet, and Producing Artistic Director Jeff G. Rack have announced the line-up for WICKED LIT 2015, the company's 7th annual immersive theatre event that will for the 6th year take place at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena, California. Get a sneak peek at THE EBONY FRAME, left!

A Richard Pryor biopic is officially on the way.

As the final show of their 2015 Mainstage Season, Dorset Theatre Festival will present The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Laura Eason, adapted from the novel by Mark Twain. Continuing the tradition of closing out the summer season with a fall presentation open to and specifically geared towards families and school groups, Tom Sawyer follows 2014's Travels with Mark Twain (starring Ron Crawford) and 2013's This Verse Business (starring Gordon Clapp as poet Robert Frost).

Comedy and talk show legend Jay Leno is headed to Aurora's Paramount Theatre for one-show-only, and he's bringing audiences along for one of the funniest nights of the fall comedy season.

The award-winning Equity professional East Lynne Theater Company's popular 'Tales of the Victorians,' now in its 26th year, is winding down its summer season. Take tea at a lovely inn, indulge in homemade tasty treats, and listen to stories by famous American authors like O. Henry, Mary Wilkins Freeman, Mark Twain,  and Zora Neale Hurston, read by ELTC performers for only $10.00. Children are always welcome, and ages 12 and under are free. 

Author Chris Madsen has added the Clemens Medal to a long list of awards for his debut title, 'Rowdy,' a true story of a 1916 yacht and the people who graced its decks over several decades including members of New York society, politicians, and the rich and famous. The yacht was commissioned to Holland Sackett Duell in 1916 and Madsen was able to locate his daughter, Hanny Pierson, who at 93 years of age, flew from the East Coast to the West Coast to board the yacht following a six-year restoration by Madsen. From Hanny, her many descendants, and years of research at libraries, museums, historical societies, Supreme Court cases, newspaper archives, and yacht club records, Madsen was able to piece together an extraordinary story of the family and the yacht. 'The family's forefathers were amongst the first pilgrims that arrived at Plymouth,' says Madsen. 'And Holland's grandfather was instrumental in the formation in the Republican Party giving powerful speeches to Congress for the abolition of slavery, and in support of the Civil War. Holland was himself a highly decorated World War I hero and powerful attorney, New York Senator, businessman and highly respected sailor.' 'This isn't a book I would ordinarily read,' says Ron Fritsch, AiA director and reviewer for the Clemens award program. 'But once I started reading 'Rowdy', I could not put it down. It is a compelling story. The book is also beautifully produced and makes a wonderful coffee table book. The author has clearly invested a considerable sum on editing as the quality of the work is impeccable. 'Rowdy' is a deserving recipient of the Clemens Medal.' 'Rowdy' is a true life colorful 1920's historical biography full of adventure, love stories and scandals, and becomes the first book to be awarded the Clemens Medal. An e-version of 'Rowdy' is in production. The hard cover complete with accented gold leaf stamping, blind deboss and a woven burgundy book mark ribbon reflects the story within and is available at all major online retailers including Amazon.com. About the Clemens Award Program The Clemens Medal is awarded to an author for a book of outstanding literary quality and design. The three elements considered for this award include: - literary quality of work - the cover design and to a lesser extent, interior design - standard of editing Criteria The award is open to all independent (self-published) authors, and authors published by a small or academic press. 1. Prerequisite The nominated title must have won an award - gold, silver or bronze - from one of the award programs recognized for their Honoring Excellence award. 2. Literary Quality The following elements will be considered when assessing the literary quality of the nominated title. Note: not all of these elements will apply to every genre. Plot: is the story well-constructed, is author in control of plot and making wise decisions, do events happen within the limits of the theme and genre, is final resolution credible, and does it honor the story. Style: is the style appropriate to the theme, genre, subject matter, is the dialogue genuine and does it work effectively with the narrative, author's use of literary techniques and contentions, observance of fundamental rules such as Point Of View, accuracy of any factual material, use of language to create atmosphere, settings, characters, actions etc. Characterization: are characters believable, well-developed, do they interact in a convincing way, is their behavior consistent with their biography and consistent throughout the story, are they revealed to the reader in an effective way through action, inner dialogue, thoughts, reactions and responses to other characters. 3. Design 3.1 Cover Design Like story and writing style, design is quite subjective. Covers also need to respond to the elements that are relevant to a particular genre. We will be considering the following aspects of cover design: - a well written, compelling back cover copy (or description for eBook) - a custom, polished, professional design (no templates) - the genre or story is evident in the design 3.2 Interior Design With regard to interior design (print version only), we are not looking for elaborate design when simplicity works just as well. The nominated title will pass this criterion if: - the print is positioned sensibly on the page - the page numbering starts at chapter one - includes a copyright page with relevant content - includes a title page(s) 4. Editing The work must be edited to a very high professional standard. We accept that despite endless edits, rewrites and proofreading that some errors do slip through, and this happens with all books not just self-published books. However, such errors should be minor and limited. About the Clemens Medal The Clemens Medal is in honor of Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain who started his own publishing company (Charles L. Webster & Company) in 1885 to self-publish his books. The Clemens Medal recognizes non mainstream authors ie self-published or authors published by a small or academic press who have published a book of outstanding literary quality and design. About The Association of Independent Authors The Association of Independent Authors (AiA) is the peak body representing, advancing, promoting and supporting independent (self-published) authors globally. Its membership spans six continents with directors based in the USA, UK, Asia, Australia and South Africa. The AiA published a comprehensive guide to self-publishing with 80+ articles from experts in their field. Self-Publishing. Publish Your Book and Avoid the Pitfalls with Advice from Leading Experts and Experienced Authors is available exclusively in the Kindle Store.

Unbound Productions Executive Director Jonathan Josephson, Artistic Director Paul Millet, and Producing Artistic Director Jeff G. Rack have announced the line-up for WICKED LIT 2015, the company's 7th annual immersive theatre event that will for the 6th year take place at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena, California.

Porduction proposals are currently being accepted for Metropolitan Playhouse's 10th Living Literature Festival -- The TranscendentalFest. Scheduled for January 11th through 24th, 2016, The TranscendentalFest is a collection of new plays and celebrating the work and spirit of the American Transcendentalists. Works adapted from, inspired by, or relating to prominent authors' and leaders' work, life, and obsessions are all welcome.

What's it like to work in professional theater? How do actors prepare for their roles? Ever wonder how and why a theater company selects its plays? You mean, a world premiere is actually a play that has never, ever been performed anywhere else? How does that happen?

KNOXVILLE, TN - Diplomat, politician, lawyer and musician, James W. Symington is all these and more, a public servant who served America when public service was a noble calling. His new book, HEARD AND OVERHEARD: Words Wise (and Otherwise) with Politicians, Statesmen and Real People (Posterity Press and New Academia Publishing), is a medley of vignettes many of them about key moments in history told from his perspectives as congressman, diplomat and right-hand man to one Ambassador, an Attorney General and the President of the United States. It is illustrated with photographs, some published for the first time when the book debuts August 17.

First Floor Theater (FFT) is thrilled to announce its third annual literary festival, KAFKAPALOOZA, a festival of nine world premiere plays, by some of Chicago's most exciting playwrights, inspired by the life and work of Franz Kafka. Over the past two years, the FFT LitFest has brought together some of Chicago's greatest writers, including Seth Bockley, Philip Dawkins, Bonnie Metzgar, Ike Holter, Morgan McNaught, andPaul Oakley Stovall, to respond to literary greats The Brothers Grimm and Mark Twain.

On Saturday, August 15, Performance Network will host 12 in 12, an all day music festival featuring 12 acts in 12 hours from noon to midnight.

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show.

 Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Avenue, is thrilled to announce that RING OF FIRE: THE MUSIC OF JOHNNY CASH has been extended through November 1. The musical tribute has received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike and has broken sales records for Mercury Theater Chicago. "A good time with a great American artist!" exclaimed Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune. Hedy Weiss of the Chicago Sun-Times Highly Recommends the production saying it's "A show ablaze with fire and unmitigated fun!"

Just in time for this fall's political cycle, piano-playing political satirist Mark Russell returns to Ford's Theatre (511 Tenth Street NW) for one night only, Monday, October 19, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. With material ripped from today's headlines, Russell's unique brand of comedy earned him the Mark Twain Award for political comedy and made him a popular favorite on PBS.

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show. Thus, we are happy to present a new feature: The Nashville Theater Calendar, a comprehensive - maybe even exhaustive (lord knows we're exhausted from putting it together, gathering all the info from all over the interwebs!) - listing of theatrical openings for the 2015/16 season. We'll update the calendar every Monday, clearing out the shows that have closed and adding additional information on the shows still to come. Something's missing? That's an easy fix: just send us a message here, on Facebook, or by email at jeffreyellis37215@att.com.

Hartford Stage presents the world premiere of An Opening in Time by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Connecticut native Christopher Shinn, with direction by Oliver Butler of The Debate Society, from September 17 through October 11, 2015. An Opening in Time's central Connecticut setting is inspired by Shinn's hometown of Wethersfield.

Denton Community Theatre (DCT) is proud to present the last show in its 45th anniversary season, Big River - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  Directed by John Evarts and Pete Kelly, this musical re-telling of Mark Twain's classic American story boasts a large cast and a score of country and blue-grass music.  Music direction is by Arturo Ortega.