MARK TWAIN TALKS: Newsletter/Blog

I sometimes think I am the laziest man on earth, a phrase my father used to use to describe me. I just noticed I haven't posted here for almost 6 months!

My first year doing shows in Vermont for the Vermont Humanities Council was great fun. Two of the shows were to overflow crowds which was great for my ego, if not my voice. I have already done one show this year, have two more definites and more in the works.

For those who have been asking about local Massachusetts shows, I will be at the West Bridgewater Library on April 1 and home in Marshfield at Ventress library for Twain's birthday in November.

Finally, we are returning to Buxton, England this summer to premiere the new "Notes on the Damned Human Race" at the Fringe Festival where we won an award for "Hannibal Years" in 2006.

I've set up a blog! Notes on the Damned Human Race It's mostly my thoughts on current events, but will contain relevant Twain thoughts and comments when appropriate. Please visit it and let me know what you think.

As most of us know, the new year really starts in September, when the cool weather sets in and school starts. I've been very remiss about updating this part of the website, but my New Year's resolution is to be better about that.

I've got shows coming up in Vermont this fall (see the Calendar for details) and I must say my first year working with the Vermont Humanities Council has been a delight!

I'm also gearing up for a major outreach to Libraries and Senior Citizen organizations closer to home, so if you have any suggestions or contacts please let me know.

We didn't make it back to England this year - partially because of the fall in the dollar's value - but next year is a must! I've been working on revising the new "talk" - Notes on the Damned Human Race.

February News -

Since my last posting was in November of last year I feel it is time again to update you on my doings.

I have been working diligently (and some times desperately) on the new Twain talk "Notes on the Damned Human Race". It will debut in all its glory next Wednesday 2/7 at the Amazing Things Art Center in Natick/Saxonville, Mass. Details and directions are available at www.amazingthings.org . The talk is a bit darker than some of the others, but still humorous and entertaining.

I keep taking other acting gigs. Opening a show at The Vine wine bar in Plymouth this weekend - "How Gertrude Stormed the Philosophers' Club", very silly. Info at www.thevineplymouth.com . I'm also doing a reading of "In White America" for the Trotter Institute at UMass Boston on 2/6 at noon in the library - free and open to the public.

"Patience of Nantucket", in which I have the role of the very evil Capt. Nathaniel Fitzgerald, is going to be presented on Nantucket Island in July. Unfortunately this precludes going to Buxton this year, but I am already thinking about 2008!

Finally, I am directing a wonderful play by A.R. Gurney, "Later Life", for the Bay Players. It will be presented one weekend only - April 27-29.

November News -

I have just been invited to join the roster of the Vermont Humanities Council Speaker’s Bureau. This is a fairly big deal and only a handful of the many who audition are added each year. It means they will pay my fee if I can convince nonprofits to hire me, which should make that task much more enjoyable for all involved.

The Illinois College gig last month was a huge success. I met some wonderful people, saw Lincoln’s house in Springfield (which is not as old as the one I live in), met some wonderful people - including Ken Bradbury, the author of “Homerville”, a very famous novel of small-town midwest life, who said some very nice things about the performance. His review is posted on my website.

I’m doing a private party performance this month in a living room. I really enjoy these intimate settings - 10 to 20 people comfortably settled in are much more fun than the same number on folding chairs in a library room designed for 60. Opportunities to see me in a more public setting are -

Sunday, Nov. 19 2pm Needham Public Library - The full show with intermission
and
Thursday, Nov. 30 2pm Boston Public Library - “The Morals Lecture”

I’ve begun work on a new “talk”, tentatively titled “Notes on the Damned Human Race” which is promised for February, but may be incomplete by then. Details to follow.

Greetings,

Here it is October, already.

"OCTOBER: This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks in. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August, and February."

I’m headed out to Illinois College this weekend to do "Advice to Youth" for the College Convocation on Monday morning. A kind neighbor and alumnus of IC is providing escort and protection.

October 28th is "Daniel Webster Day" at Ventress Library in Marshfield, MA and I’ll be there teasing Daniel about his last words and telling about a frog of that name out in California.

November 19th I’ll be at Needham Public Library at 2 pm doing the full "Mark Twain Talks" show. I’ve never done the exact same show twice, so even if you’ve seen it, come see it again. It’s free.

November 30th, Twain’s birthday, I’ll be doing the "Morals Lecture" in the Rabb Lecture Hall at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square at 2 pm.

I’ve also started work on a new "talk" using some of the anti-imperialist material that came out of Twain’s disappointment about the motives of the Spanish-American War and the Boxer Rebellion in China. It is remarkably relevant to today’s world and I hope to have it ready for next spring and summer.

For most of us, the new year starts now, with Labor Day, the end of summer, and the return to schools. Our thoughts turn away from the beach and towards the warming fireside.

I am currently in rehearsal for a stage play, Patience of Nantucket, which runs 9/7 to 9/23 at the Boston Center for the Arts. If you come see it, be sure to say hello afterwards.

There is a new VIDEO sampler of the shows on my audio/video page. I have taken off the audio only clips that were there, but I can still provide them to anyone who needs them.

Next Twain shows are -
Illinois College Oct. 9
Ventress Library, Marshfield Oct. 28
Needham Library, Nov. 19
and I'm looking for a place to celebrate Twain's birthday on Nov. 30 or Dec. 1 as a benefit for a local charity. If you have any ideas, please let me know!

We got back yesterday from 10 days at the Buxton Fringe Festival in Buxton, England. I won a "Best of Fest" award for 'Hannibal Years', and everybody enjoyed 'The Morals Lecture' too.

The weather was a bit unusual. We left here in 90 degree, humid weather - looking forward to the cool and dry air of England. Unfortunately, England was just starting its record-setting heat wave! Doing 2 shows a day in a stuffy black box theater presented some challenges, but all-in-all it was a great success.

We did a lot of walking, which was good for us, saw some very interesting theater, visited with our friend Marianne Terborg, who came over from Holland to see us, and will probably do it again next year.

Next show here is 8/16 in Enfield, CT.

I should perhaps be better at this journal thing, but I keep making the mistake of taking on new projects.


I just finished up playing Buford Bullough in a very strange but wonderful play titled "F.M." by Romulus Linney.


Buxton is on! Flying over with Betsy on July 14 and returning July 24. I'll be doing "Hannibal Years" on Sunday July 16, then that and "The Morals Lecture" every day but Tuesday. A minimum of 9 shows in 7 days will be a challenge, but we're really looking forward to it. If you happen to be in England then, give us a shout.

I just picked up a gig doing the full show at the library in Enfield, CT on August 16. That's a little closer to home for most of you and I'd love to see anyone who can make it.

I’m just back from the Albany area where we did a very successful launch of the new middle-school show. The kids were very receptive, understood most of it, and especially enjoyed the “watermelon” section.


It was a beautiful drive out and the road through the Berkshires was wonderful. The way water seeps through the rock faces and freezes into brilliant blue, green, and white waterfalls is spectacular.


We’re still working out the details of trying to get to the Buxton Fringe Festival in July, but it looks very promising. I’m working with one of the venue operators over there to handle most of the arrangements, publicity, ticket sales, etc.


In the fall the plan is to head to the midwest and build a mini-tour around a performance at Illinois College.

IT"S OFFICIAL! The release party for my new CD - "MARK TWAIN TALKS - Favorite Stories Volume 1" will be Sunday, March 5 at the Ventress Library in Marshfield, MA from 1-4 pm and we have some wonderful things planned.

There will be free wooden nickels for everyone attending plus "steamboat" cookies and punch.

At 2pm I will be doing a free dress rehearsal for the new "talk" - "Hannibal Years", which is an introduction to Twain's boyhood and tells about the real people who were the models for the characters in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer". This talks is designed for 6-8 grades but there is plenty in there to entertain adults as well.

At 3pm there will be a formal presentation of a copy of the CD for inclusion in the library's collection.

And, of course, there will be buttons, bumper stickers, and CDs for sale - with $5 from the sale of each CD going to the "Friends" organization of the library.

Hope you can come!