FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
| Family photo with Hal Holbrook |
"When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it happened or not." - Mark Twain
Dear Friends,
One event you won't have any trouble remembering is where you were on the evening of February 17, 2015 - that is, if you attend Hal Holbrook's 90th Birthday Performance of Mark Twain Tonight! at The Bushnell Center for Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut.
The countdown is on, and there are still excellent seats available priced from $25 to $75. Will you please join me on this historic evening to honor Hal Holbrook, a living legend in his own right? He has been performing as Mark Twain longer than Sam Clemens carried the pen name!
Please don't wake up on the morning of February 18th and say, "I should have been there."
Be there, a witness to history, and prepare to be amazed! Mr. Holbrook continually researches and adds new material to his performances. He is a highly respected Twain scholar as you'll quickly learn the minute he steps onto the stage. Although I have seen him in "Mark Twain Tonight!" more than 20 times, I have never seen the same performance twice!
This will be a night to remember! Please find me in the audience and say hello!
Cindy Lovell Executive Director
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JANUARY EVENT
(kicks off the TWAIN ON STAGE FESTIVAL -- see items marked with an * below)
*R-RATED TWAIN -- Adapted by Jacques Lamarre & Julia Pistell with a special performance of Mark Twain: Ladies Man -- Performed by SEA TEA IMPROV
Saturday, January 31, 7:00 p.m.
The Mark Twain House & Museum spices things up with Mark Twain's most shocking works. This theatrical show will take the audience through the naughtiest puns, poems, parodies, and passages that Mark Twain wrote. Suffice to say the material covered by Twain in these writings is not suitable for most publications, family audiences or polite society. As Twain said, "There are no people who are quite so vulgar as the over-refined," so the historic house is looking forward to letting its hair down and introducing the public to these hysterical and deliciously deviant lesser-known works.
Adults only please. Tickets are $20 / $15 for MTH&M Members. Please call
EARLY FEBRUARY EVENTS
For more details on all our events, please visit our website.
*IS HE DEAD? Adapted by David Ives from the play by Mark Twain; Directed by Debi Freund
Friday, Feb. 6, to Sunday Feb. 8, Friday Feb. 13 to Sunday Feb. 15, and Friday Feb. 20 to Sunday Feb. 22. Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 pm. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.
Performed by the LITTLE THEATRE OF MANCHESTER at Cheney Hall, 177 Hartford Road, Manchester, CT
The first major production of this work in Connecticut! Starving artist Jean-Fran�ois Millet is an amazingly talented painter, but, like all living geniuses, his work is unappreciated. Scheming with the help of his colleagues, he stages his own death in order to increase the value of his paintings. The big question: if he's dead, how can he collect his riches? The answer: Put on a dress and return as his sister, of course! This fast-paced comedy by the granddaddy of American Humor, Mark Twain, and adapted by David Ives, is a combination of the Marx Brothers, Three Stooges and RuPaul's Drag Race. Premiered almost 100 years after Twain's death, this "new" show is incredibly ironic!
The Trouble Begins at 5:30: Twain's Travels, and a Sneak Peek at a New Exhibit
Wednesday, February 11, 5:00 p.m. wine and hors d'oeuvres reception; 5:30 talk
The Mark Twain House & Museum's popular The Trouble Begins at 5:30 lecture series opens its spring lineup with a special program of readings and conversation on the subject of Mark Twain's international travels, presented by the curators of the upcoming exhibition,'Travel Is Fatal to Prejudice': Mark Twain's Journeys Abroad. The program will be led by Interim Chief Curator Mallory Howard and Guest Curator Dr. Kerry A. Driscoll. Steve Courtney, Interim Curatorial Assistant and organizer of the Trouble Begins series, will also cause Trouble. (The 'Travel Is Fatal to Prejudice' exhibit will open with a special reception on Thursday, March 19, at 5:30 p.m.) The series is supported by Connecticut Explored magazine, Hot Tomato's restaurant. Big Dollar Liquors of Bristol and The Friends of The Mark Twain House & Museum.
Suggested donation $5. Reservations are recommended. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.
An Evening with Writer, Actor and Director B.J. Novak
Thursday, February 12, 7:00 p.m. at the Auditorium at Aetna
B.J. Novak is an all-around renaissance man -- an actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, author, and director. He is most widely known for being a writer and co-executive producer of the beloved TV series The Office, in which he also starred.The Mark Twain House & Museum is pleased to announce that B.J. is coming to Hartford to do a benefit evening for the museum. B.J. will be talking about his life, career, and his recently published book One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, which includes the short story "The Ghost of Mark Twain." The event will be followed by a book sale and signing.
Author Series Sponsored by The Hartford.
Tickets are $30 / $25 for Mark Twain House Members. A VIP ticket package includes a meet & greet, reception with food & beverages, and premium seating. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.
Love Is In The Air: An intimate lunch gathering with two Connecticut authors discussing love stories
Friday, February 13 at 12:00 p.m.
Connecticut authors Katy Lee and Nan Rossiter will be on hand for an intimate lunch gathering where fans can hear them chat about writing the love stories you love to read. The authors will appear as part of the Appetizing Authors Series sponsored by The Write Pros to connect readers with authors. The event will feature a buffet lunch, a conversation and audience Q and A with the authors, moderated by Lucinda Secrest McDowell, book signings and door prizes.
Tickets, priced at $20 (plus tax and processing), are available online at www.thewritepros.com. Seating is very limited. Books will be available for purchase at the event. Questions or special dietary needs? Contact [email protected]; (860) 653-7733.
*THE DIARIES OF ADAM & EVE by Mark Twain -- Performed by the National Theatre of the Deaf; Performance will be in English and American Sign Language
Saturday, February 14, 7:30 p.m. One performance only, followed by chocolate and wine reception!
Love is the language that we can all feel. When the Tony Award-winning National Theatre of the Deaf comes to the Twain Museum Center to perform Mark Twain's most touching love story, audiences will also be able to see and hear every word. The Diaries of Adam & Eve are a humorous and affectionate look at the first couple on Earth's misadventures in the Garden of Eden. A love letter of sorts to Twain's own marriage to his beloved Livy, we celebrate Valentine's Day with this unique performance followed by a wine and chocolate reception. Suitable for adults.
Tickets are $25 / $20 for MTH&M Members. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.
*Hal Holbrook's Mark Twain Tonight: The 90th Birthday Performance
Tuesday, February 17, 7:30 p.m. at the Bushnell in Hartford
One American legend salutes another! Having first donned Samuel Clemens' iconic white suit in 1954, Hal Holbrook's humorous and affecting portrayal of Mark Twain has charmed audiences for six decades. The Tony and Emmy Award winner and Academy Award nominee returns to the city that Twain called home for twenty years to mark an unforgettable occasion -- Mr. Holbrook's 90th birthday! This special event benefits "the loveliest home that ever was," The Mark Twain House.
With the iconic Bushnell Mortensen Hall's striking art-deco interior serving as the backdrop for this unforgettable night, audiences will laugh, learn and be inspired by Hal Holbrook's classic Mark Twain performance.
To make this benefit event as affordable as possible to all Hal Holbrook fans, there is an array of ticket price options. Orchestra & Box seats are $75, Mezzanine seats are $40-$55, and Balcony seats are $25-$40. Tickets can be purchased online or by phone at (860) 987-5900.
*Items marked with an asterisk are part of the TWAIN ON STAGE FESTIVAL. Support for the Festival is generously provided by The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation, with additional support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council's United Arts Campaign, and The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts.
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THANK YOU TO OUR NEW & RENEWING
(December 19 through January 21)
Darren Alley
Colleen Bleakney
Paula Boehme
Eileen Brogan
Jeanyu Chen
Charles Cleary
Mally & Jim Cox-Chapman
Cheryl Croll
Harriet & Dewey Deeton
Timothy & Becky Derby
Seth Deutchman
Ranjit Dighe
Rod W. Farrell
Richelle Giroux
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Linda & Jeffrey Howey
Edward Kennedy
Jessie Kimball
David Macintyre
Jamie McDevitt
Ann Munigle
George Nikolopoulos
Dr. Walter L. Powell
Robert Recalde
Annice S. Rockwell & Edward F. Bradley
Lois J. Scozzari
Jane Smith
Chelsea Stone
Lydia Wittman
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THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS (December 19 through Jan. 21)
INDIVIDUAL
Jessie Adams
Richard F. Ahles
Stephen Altschuler
Judith E. Askey
Alan L. Benford
Linda Biancalani
Louis Blumenfeld & Jacqueline Isaacson
Douglas & Theresa Boains
Ted & Sally Carrier
David W. Clark
Michael D. Coe
G. Michael Cooper & Michele Bush
Walter B. Denny
Howard Fielding
Jennifer Glick
Ann & Philip Glover
Nathan Goldberg
Walter & Roberta Greenberg
Welles & Lillian Guilmartin
Christopher & Nancy Houlihan
An-Ping & Sarah Hsieh
David R. & Beth Jimenez
David & Janice Klein
Alan & Becky Kreczko
Alice K. Kugelman
Ana M. Lachelier
Robert C. & Carol L. Lindberg
Roger & Jane Loeb
Edwin O. Lomerson, Jr.
Dr. Cindy Lovell
Bruce & Susan Machol
Dr. Leta W. Marks
Kathleen Coville Marr
Alfred Masciocchi & Catherine Gobes
John McDevitt
Roger Michel
James S. Milloy
Robert M. & Andrea Milstein
John & Ellen Moran
Frederick J. & Eleanor May Mullen
Cheryl Murray
Bichop & Linda Nawrot
Mark Neikrie & Nancy Thomas
Janice L. Niehaus
Steve Nightingale & Vaughan Finn
Jeffrey & Donna Oller
Claire M. Pryor
Catherine Riordan & Kurt Raschi
Elizabeth S. Russell
G. William & Anne Seawright
Sandra T. Stein
Henry Steiner
Ted & Marge Storrs
Andrew M. & Karen Sullivan
John & Dorothea Talcott
Philip S. Walker
Jacqueline R. Werner
Janice Wood Williams
Mark Zampano
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INSTITUTIONAL
The Colonial Lords of Manors in America
Farmington Bank Community Foundation
Griebel Family Fund
Harry M. Day Charitable Foundation
The Imagineers Foundation Inc.
J. Walton Bissell Foundation, Inc.
The Knox Foundation
River Oaks Foundation, Inc.
Ruth and Jack Glantz Family Foundation
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Make the most of your donation, be sure to ask your employer about matching gifts.
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The Mark Twain House & Museum Presents the First Annual "Sammies" Awards
Awards Recognize Partnerships with Generous Organizations and Individuals in the Community
The Mark Twain House & Museum presented the First Annual Samuel Clemens Awards (aka "The Sammies"), using Mark Twain's real name, at its Annual Meeting which was held on January 22, 2015.
These awards were instituted in order to fully recognize the institution's strong partnerships with generous organizations and individuals in the community. However, rather than presenting the more traditional plaque or certificate, award recipients will be presented something that The Mark Twain House & Museum believes the iconic author, humorist, and American voice would wholeheartedly approve of: a Mark Twain bobblehead doll.
Here are the recipients of the first annual "Sammies" Awards":
Corporate Partner of the Year: The Hartford
Community Partner of the Year: Hartford Stage Company
Education Partner of the Year: Hartford Trinity College Magnet School
Individual Volunteer of the Year: John Holder
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Writers' Weekend 2015!
April 17-19
Our Annual Mark Twain House Writers' Weekend is back for our 4th year!
This year, our keynote speakers are Dani Shapiro, best-selling author of Devotion and Still Writing, and
Random House employees Ann Kingman & Michael Kindness, hosts of the Books On The Nightstand podcast.
Peek into the inner lives of the region's best writers; hone your craft with workshops on fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and storytelling; learn the publishing industry's secrets on pitching, agents, and publicity; meet other writers; and read your work aloud at our closing event. Tickets are available for the whole weekend or just one day. Become a better writer at the home of one of the best writers in American history--it's a weekend of inspiration and hard work, bound to get you on the right path to the next stage of your writing life.
Early bird pricing of $140 ends on February 1. For reservations, please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.
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MARK TWAIN STORE FEATURED ITEM OF THE MONTH
Deluxe Mark Twain Mug - $14
This extra tall mug features a painting of Mark Twain and his quote, "Compliments always embarrass a person... I always feel that they have not said enough."
Pick one up in the store or order online here.
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