Mark Twain News

Boston Playwrights' Theatre (BPT) today announces the plays that will comprise its 36th season. The line-up includes Lost Tempo by Cliff Odle, Elemeno Pea by Molly Smith Metzler, and Brawler by Walt McGough.

CBS SUNDAY MORNING kicked off the official new season as the nation's #1 Sunday morning news program, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings for Oct. 1. Anchored by Jane Pauley, the broadcast delivered 5.20 million viewers and 1.0/06 with adults 25-54, the demographic that matters most to those who advertise in news.

Boston Playwrights' Theatre (BPT) continues its 2017-18 season with the Boston premiere of Elemeno Pea by Molly Smith Metzler. Running from November 2-19, the comedy is directed by Shana Gozansky.

From the Paducah Daily News to Joseph Pulitzer's newspaper, the New York World, Irvin S. Cobb made a name for himself as one of the early twentieth century's most celebrated writers. Born in Paducah, Kentucky in 1876, Cobb rose from humble beginnings to become one of the highest-paid journalists in the United States. Critic H. L. Mencken dedicated a chapter of his 1919 book Prejudices to Cobb, saying, He is at once the successor to Mark Twain and the heir of Edgar Allan Poe. In Irvin S. Cobb: The Rise and Fall of an American Humorist, historian William E. Ellis explores the entire scope of Cobb's life and career. Ellis uses previously unavailable sources, along with the entirety of Cobb's published work spanning nearly fifty years, to document the life and work of the versatile and at times controversial humorist.

The nationally regarded Fulton Theatre is proud to present the classic stage mystery Sleuth, October 3 through October 29. Join us and get caught up in the game that is sure to have you asking yourself where does imagination end and the reality begin?

Rarely has the lowly and much-maligned post-show talkback received as much attention as it has since it was revealed that David Mamet was prohibiting them during productions of his plays. Inspired by Mr. Mamet's decision while honoring his prohibition, in this series of public discussions critic and journalist Jeremy M. Barker and director Patrice Miller bring together diverse practitioners to explore issues raised by Mr. Mamet's long career through their own experiences. The guests for this second session in the series, on Sunday, Oct. 15, are writer Leonard Jacobs (The Clyde Fitch Report), writer Colleen Werthman and playwright Amina Henry. Each will explore artists' powers, limitations, and challenges in defining the experience of their works.

Hollywood actor Bill Murray teams up with distinguished German cellist Jan Vogler in Bill Murray, Jan Vogler & Friends: New Worlds, a spirited one-night-only celebration of music and literature presented by the OFJCC in Palo Alto.

New Light Theater Project will present The New York premiere of BREEDERS by Dan Giles, directed by Jaki Bradley. BREEDERS began performances Thursday, September 21 for a limited engagement through Saturday, October 14. Press opening is tonight, September 27 at 8 PM.

Utah Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Brian Vaughn recently announced a slate of eight highly-creative, talented, and experienced directors for the Festival's 2018 season. Many have directed at the Festival before, but some will be new to Festival audiences.

The 2017 Fall Season of San Francisco Opera continues in November and December with a new production of Jules Massenet's Manon (November 4 22), Giacomo Puccini's Turandot (November 18 December 9) and the highly anticipated world premiere of John Adams' Girls of the Golden West (November 21 December 10). Special concert presentations include the San Francisco Opera Chorus (November 30), the popular award-winning New Zealand vocal trio Sol3 Mio performing with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra (December 1) and The Future Is Now: Adler Fellows Concert (December 8). The Company's 95th season culminates in June 2018 with Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Doubleday Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, has acquired a never-before-published Mark Twain children's story, it was announced today by Mallory Loehr, Senior Vice President & Publisher of the Random House/Golden Books, Doubleday, and Crown Books for Young Readers Group. The story, a fairy tale left unfinished by Twain, will be brought to life by author Philip Stead and illustrator Erin Stead, the creators of the Caldecott Medal–winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee. The book, THE PURLOINING OF PRINCE OLEOMARGARINE, was acquired and edited by Frances Gilbert, Associate Publishing Director, Random House Books for Young Readers, from Tina Wexler at ICM, representing the Mark Twain House & Museum, and Emily van Beek at Folio Jr., representing the author/illustrator team.

The Drama League today announced the 2017-2018 Board of Directors Executive Committee. Longtime board members assuming new leadership roles are Stan Ponte, named President, along with Bonnie Comley, 1st Vice President, Kathy Henderson, 2nd Vice President, Susan Lang, 3rd Vice President, Anna May Feige, Secretary and Ken Wirth, Treasurer.

The Fulton Theatre takes great pride in announcing our 2nd annual Robert Fulton Awards. Affectionately known as the Robbies, the awards showcase and honor the great talent that has performed on our stage during the 2016 / 2017 Season. Congratulations to all of our winners and thank you for being part of the magic!

Voyages of discovery - of places and people, of others and of self - will captivate, entertain and transform audiences in Mad Cow Theatre's Season 21, which downtown Orlando's resident professional theatre company will open Sept. 22, 2017 in Mad Cow's home at 54 W. Church St., Orlando.

Mad Cow Theatre has announced its upcoming production of Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, music and lyrics by Roger Miller, book by William Hauptman, presented in The Harriett Theatre September 22 as the first production of Mad Cow Theatre's Season 21.

Seattle Theatre Group has announced five new Seattle-area schools that have been selected to participate in its fourth annual Disney Musicals in Schools program.

New York Stage and Film has announced that its annual Winter Gala will honor Tina Fey and Founder & CEO of Audible, Inc., Don Katz.

New Light Theater Project will present The New York premiere of BREEDERS by Dan Giles, directed by Jaki Bradley. BREEDERS begins performances tonight, September 21, for a limited engagement through Saturday, October 14. Press opening is Wednesday, September 27 at 8 PM.

With his trademark mirth and boundless charisma, actor Nick Offerman brought the loveable shenanigans of Twain's adolescent hero to life in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Now, in yet another virtuosic performance, the actor proves that despite being separated by a span of over a century, his connection to the author and his work is undeniable and that theirs is a timeless collaboration that should not be missed. Trading in the idyllic banks of Twain's Mississippi for medieval England, Offerman regales listeners with one of American literature's foremost satires and the author's most inventive and darkly funny pieces of fiction.

Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn opened to a packed house at Theatre at the Center on Sunday night. Audience members leapt to their feet at the end of the performance of the now Jeff-Recommended production. Actors James Romney in the role of Huck and Jonathan Butler-Duplessis in the role of Jim lead the cast in the musical that continues through October 15.