Producer’s Notes on Twain at TwilightBy LORENZO SANDOVAL March 27, 2008 In this original theatrical presentation, Mark Twain himself will present one of his signature lectures to his Terrace Hill audience. So, one can expect a stream of colorful stories and wry observations about the human condition. Since Twain never hesitated to place his own follies and missteps under a magnifying glass, audiences will observe the great man in moments of self-deprecation executed with deft combinations of humor, charity and epiphany.
The script of this dramatized lecture will combine Twains actual text (from short stories, essays and novels) with my own new material that captures the unique qualities of Twains literary and extemporaneous voices. I want the theatrical experience to transport audience members to the 19th century, where they can be witnesses to the genius of one of Americas greatest writers and humorists.
The production will feature Mark Twain, his wife and daughters, and a variety of contemporaneous celebrities who drop in on Twain during one of his lectures. The plot is driven by the interaction among the characters as they engage in various forms of lecture, oral interpretation, dramatization, song and dance.
Twain and his entourage are always aware of the audience; they break the fourth wall and speak directly to playgoers. While many popular Twain dramatizations feature this live theatrical element, our Terrace Hill production is unique in the canon of Twain dramatizations. Our concept departs from the typical one-man performance and focuses on an ensemble production. The audience experiences the breadth of Twains giant personality when it observes him living in his milieu: it witnesses a slice of life informed by the excitement of American expansionism, the challenges posed by strict Victorian values, and the boundless love and respect of Twain’s family life.
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