Early February 2015 eNews
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


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!  

 

Tickets are $19-$24. Please call (860) 647-9824 or visit www.littletheatreofmanchester.org.


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.


 

 
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


 

 


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

 


 

  
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


 

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



 


 


 


 

 

 

  


 


 


 


 


 

 

  
 
 Make the most of your donation, be sure to ask your employer about matching gifts.

 
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





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.

  

 

 
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.



JOIN The Mark Twain House & Museum!

 

Enjoy the special insider benefits of membership in The Mark Twain House & Museum. And there's the sheer joy of being part of the legacy of Mark Twain, whose wit and insight remain alive today in 2014 -- over 150 years after Sam Clemens took on his famous pen name and entered history.

 

Submit our easy-to-use, secure online membership form or simply call 860-280-3112.

 

Make a DONATION Today!

 

Your donation to The Mark Twain House & Museum has a major impact on our ability to preserve this beautiful home, provide crucial educational programs for thousands of schoolchildren, offer mind-stimulating and spine-tingling events for adults, and welcome thousands of visitors each year. 

 

 ...and make your donation count double: Find out if your employer has a Matching Gift program.

 

Donate online, call 860-280-3112, or send your donation to: The Mark Twain House & Museum, Development Department, 351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut 06105.

 

Join the FRIENDS!

 

The Friends of The Mark Twain House & Museum offer wonderful speaking events, social gatherings, and fun volunteer opportunities. Pony up $30 and you'll get it all, too!

 

It's the volunteer organization that has supported the museum for more than 50 years. To join, call Membership Co-Chairs Chuck Paydos, 860-242-4825, or Dee Peters, 860-233-4066.

 

 

The Mark Twain House & Museum has restored the author's Hartford, Connecticut, home, where the author and his family lived from 1874 to 1891. Twain wrote his most important works there, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. In addition to providing tours of Twain's restored home, a National Historic Landmark, the institution offers activities and educational programs that illuminate Twain's literary legacy and provide information about his life and times. The house and museum at 351 Farmington Ave. are open Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 860-247-0998 or visit us online. Programs at The Mark Twain House & Museum are supported by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, and the Greater Hartford Arts Council's United Arts Campaign.

 

David Cash, Publicist and Publications Editor

The Mark Twain House & Museum