Mark Twain News

Due to critical acclaim and an entirely sold-out summer run the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) has announced a fall extension with a new block of tickets for the American Premiere of the Yiddish language Fiddler on the Roof. Originally announced to play through August 26th, the Yiddish language Fiddler on the Roof that opened on July 15th, will now play through October 25th. The production will continue its run at the Museum of Jewish Heritage with an updated performance schedule that includes Saturday evening performances,

There is trouble in River City 'I-oh-way' (Iowa) circa 1916 and that trouble is a complacency so intense that the citizens are prone to repeating malicious gossip. Petty judgements have begun to erode the very fabric of this idyllic town threatening to destroy its 'Mark Twain meets Normal Rockwell' perfection.

Jim Marzo is a local playwright who keeps himself busy. He has a few projects coming up and we talked about those events and playwriting.

WRITE OUT LOUD, an organization founded in 2007 with a commitment to inspire, challenge and entertain by reading literature aloud for a live audience  - announces the 9th Annual TwainFest to take place on Saturday, August 18th from 11am - 4:30pm in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, San Diego. TwainFest is produced by Write Out Loud and sponsored by Fiesta de Reyes in association with Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.

Today at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, PBS announced KEN BURNS PRESENTS THE GENE: AN INTIMATE HISTORY, a new three-hour documentary executive produced by Ken Burns, will premiere over three nights in Spring 2020 on PBS. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., and acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns will collaborate on the new documentary inspired by Mukherjee's best-selling 2016 book, The Gene: An Intimate History. Award-winning filmmaker Barak Goodman will produce and, in addition to Burns and Goodman, the film will largely have the same production team behind the Emmy Award-nominated CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES, an adaption of Mukherjee's earlier 2010 book that aired in 2015 on PBS.

PBS Announces 'Reconstruction: America After the Civil War,' A New Documentary from Henry Louis Gates, Jr., to Air Spring 2019 on PBS

Jeff Farley's love letter to Ray Bradbury will soon be on Bill Oberst Jr.'s face. Special effects makeup artist and Primetime Emmy Award Nominee Farley has just completed the sculpt for Oberst's prosthetic transformation into Bradbury in the authorized stage portrayal of the beloved author, Ray Bradbury Live (forever.)

12 Peers Theater continues their 2018 Main Stage Season with Stupid f**king Bird by Aaron Posner. The Pittsburgh Premiere is directed by Vince Ventura and features Chris Cattell, Sarah Chelli, Sara Ashley Fisher, Matt Henderson, Stefan Lingenfelter, David Maslow, and Maura Underwood. Stupid f**king Bird remixes the classic Chekhov play The Seagull while examining the fairness of life, love, our culture, and our institutions. Stupid f**king Bird - Sort of Adapted From The Seagull by Anton Chekhov runs July 26 - August 12, 2018, at the Richard E. Rauh Studio Theatre in The Cathedral of Learning.

Dancers for Good, a glitzy gala benefitting The Actors Fund brought top dance talents from Martha Graham, Paul Taylor Dance Companies and more to East Hampton in a flawless, echanting evening of dance honoring two legends and true 'dancers for good': Bebe Neuwith & Chita Rivera.

Extra, extra. Read all about it! Mercer County Community College's (MCCC's) Kelsey Theatre has announced its blockbuster schedule for 2018-19. The curtain goes up on Kelsey's 45th season Sept. 6 with the award-winning musical 'Newsies,' followed by other major musicals, dramas, comedies, and shows for the entire family. Kelsey Theatre is located on MCCC's West Windsor Campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. Kelsey Theatre is wheelchair accessible with free parking next to the theater.

An abandoned sporting goods store in the San Fernando Valley is not where you'd expect to soar with Dumbo The Flying Elephant or snap a photo alongside a 40 foot sea serpent, but Van Eaton Galleries -- the world's premiere auction house specializing in Disneyland memorabilia and original animation -- has created "That's From Disneyland!", a 20,000 square foot pop-up exhibit that offers the public a once in-a-lifetime opportunity to get up-close with pieces of the Disney Parks in an entirely new way.

TEVYE SERVED RAW opened Tuesday, July 17th. Just two nights earlier, the NYT/Folksbiene opened the first American production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF in Yiddish. Two of the stars of that highly successful production were in attendance at the opening of TEVYE SERVED RAW. Jackie Hoffman, who plays Yente in FIDDLER, and Daniel Kahn, who plays Perchik, were the first to jump to their feet at the evening's standing ovation.

Nestled at 405 Main Street in North Little Rock, the Argenta Community Theater deserves its spot amongst the other 'artsy' venues and clubs taking residence in the Argenta district. Though it isn't a very big setting (not as small as a black box theater, but definitely not auditorium size), they impress this writer with their creative use of space. And the talent? It's surprising that these people are not professional actors, though I do take the liberty to prophesize that some of them very well may be in the near future. The Argenta family never disappoints.

Shakespeare superstar Janet McTeer is headed to Broadway with the revolutionary play Bernhardt/Hemlet. Get a first look below!

Find out what happens to the beloved characters in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF after the musical ends. TEVYE SERVED RAW is an evening of Sholem Aleichem material, with adaptations of his 'Tevye' stories ("What, Me Worthy?" and "Get Thee Gone!"), scenes from his own long-unseen Yiddish stage version, and three of his purely comedic stories, newly adapted ("Strange Jews on a Train," "The Yiddish Sisyphus" and "A Stepmother's Trash-Talk"). The production is set to officially open this evening (Tuesday) at 7 pm at The Playroom Theater in the Heart of the Theatre District, 151 West 46 Street (just east of Seventh Ave.)

12 Peers Theater continues their 2018 Main Stage Season with Stupid f**king Bird by Aaron Posner. The Pittsburgh Premiere is directed by Vince Ventura and features Chris Cattell, Sarah Chelli, Sara Ashley Fisher, Matt Henderson, Stefan Lingenfelter, David Maslow, and Maura Underwood. Stupid f**king Bird remixes the classic Chekhov play The Seagull while examining the fairness of life, love, our culture, and our institutions. Stupid f**king Bird - Sort of Adapted From The Seagull by Anton Chekhov runs July 26 - August 12, 2018, at the Richard E. Rauh Studio Theatre in The Cathedral of Learning.

'Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,' the Tony Award-winning best musical comes to The Sauk, Hillsdale County's community theatre, with a cast of veterans and newcomers for eight performances, August 9-19.

Roundabout Theatre Company has just announced full casting for the world premiere of Bernhardt/Hamlet

National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) today announced that the highly anticipated American premiere of the Yiddish language Fiddler on the Roof, which began preview PERFORMANCES Off Broadway at the Museum of Jewish Heritage last week, will extend its run for an additional week through September 2 due to demand for tickets. The Press Opening takes place Sunday, July 15 and a VIP gala performance on Monday, July 16. Helmed by Academy Award and Tony Award winner Joel Grey, the acclaimed musical is being presented now for an 9-week limited engagement through September 2.

Find out what happens to the beloved characters in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF after the musical ends. TEVYE SERVED RAW is an evening of Sholem Aleichem material, with adaptations of his 'Tevye' stories ('What, Me Worthy?' and 'Get Thee Gone!'), scenes from his own long-unseen Yiddish stage version, and three of his purely comedic stories, newly adapted ('Strange Jews on a Train,' 'The Yiddish Sisyphus' and 'A Stepmother's Trash-Talk'). The production is set to officially open next Tuesday, July 17th at The Playroom Theater in the Heart of the Theatre District, 151 West 46 Street (just east of Seventh Ave.)