Richard Thomas in
Mark Twain Tonight!
By Hal Holbrook
Emmy-Award® winning Actor Richard Thomas brings to life “the nation’s one true comic genius” (The New York Times) in Mark Twain Tonight!, written and originally performed by Hal Holbrook. Join the millions who have cheered for the legendary one-man show, bursting with Twain’s “uproariously funny” and “pungently wise” (Time Magazine) humor.
Most recently seen on Broadway in Our Town, on tour as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, on Netflix’s Ozark, and beloved to generations as John-Boy Walton, Richard Thomas is the first and only actor authorized to perform the play since the original.
August 12-24 | Theater Works | Hartford, CT
September 5 | Ocean City Performing Arts Center | Ocean City, MD
September 9 | Gallagher-Bluedorn PAC | Cedar Falls, IA
September 12-14 | Robinson Center | Little Rock, AR
September 26 | Wilson Center | Wilmington, NC
October 2 | McCain Auditorium | Manhattan, KS
October 5 | Dixie Carter PAC | Huntingdon, TN
October 14-15 | Clemens Center | Elmira, NY
November 5-6 | State Theatre New Jersey | New Brunswick, NJ
November 12 | CacheARTS | Logan, UT
November 14 | Covey Center | Provo, UT
November 18 | Gallo Center | Modesto, CA
November 21 | Mesa Arts Center | Mesa, AZ
December 5-6 | Von Braun Center | Huntsville, AL
December 19-20 | Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall | Sarasota, FL
January 20 | Lutcher Theater | Orange, TX
January 21 | Cowan Center | Tyler, TX
January 23 | Walton Arts Center | Fayetteville, AR
January 27 | Bass Hall | Fort Worth, TX
January 28-29 | Rudder Auditorium | College Station, TX
January 31 | Denver Center | Denver, CO
February 3 | Vilar Performing Arts Center | Beaver Creek, CO
February 4-5 | Asteria Theatre | Grand Junction, CO
February 17 | Grand Theater | Wausau, WI
February 22 | Marathon Center | Findlay, OH
CREATIVE TEAM
RICHARD THOMAS (Mark Twain)
Richard Thomas won an Emmy Award and received multiple Golden Globe Award nominations for his starring role as “John-Boy Walton” in the television drama "The Waltons". He is most recognizable to contemporary television audiences for his roles in the hit series Ozark, The Americans, Billions and the original Stephen King mini-series It. His feature film performances include The Unforgivable, Wonder Boys, Last Summer, Red Sky at Morning, and Taking Woodstock. He has been seen in acclaimed performances on stage including the revival of The Little Foxes, for which he received a Tony Award nomination, Our Town, You Can’t Take it With You, The Great Society, Race, Democracy, Incident at Vichy (Drama Desk Award nomination), The Stendhal Syndrome (Lucille Lortel Award nomination, Outer Critics Circle Award nomination), A Naked Girl on the Appian Way, An Enemy of the People, Tiny Alice, The Front Page, The Fifth of July, innumerable Shakespeare productions, and his professional debut at 8 years old in Sunrise at Campobello. Across the country he has starred in the national tours of The Humans (Elliot Norton Award), Twelve Angry Men, and for three years as “Atticus Finch” in Aaron Sorkin’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Richard previously served as the Honorary Chair of the National Corporate Theatre Fund, a position also held by his predecessor Hal Holbrook.
MARK TWAIN TONIGHT! TRUST
It could be said that Hal Holbrook came as close to the early American touring actor as anyone on the modern day
stage. After 63 consecutive years and over 2300 performances of Mark Twain Tonight! it may be the longest running show in theatre history. It was developed in a Greenwich Village nightclub in 1956 and landed on the "Ed Sullivan" show; he opened off-Broadway in 1959 to rave reviews; and in 1960 The State Department sent his Mark Twain to Europe. In 1966 he won a Tony Award and in 1967 CBS aired a 90-minute special of the show which was seen by 30 million people. When he decided in 2017 to retire the show, his first instinct was to thank the people who came to see him throughout the years. They kept him going. The Mark Twain Tonight! Trust was set up to continue Hal’s legacy with Mark Twain. We want to thank especially The Booking Group who represented Hal in the early days, first by Klaus Kolmar, then under Meredith Blair and Richard Rundle who will continue to represent the show. And finally, his production stage managers Bennett Thomson and, when he retired, Richard Costabile who toured with Hal for decades.
MICHAEL WILSON (Creative Consultant)
Michael Wilson's collaborations with Richard Thomas span more than 20 years, from Danton's Death which he produced for the Alley in 1992 with Thomas in the title role, to the 2015 Off-Broadway revival he directed Thomas in of Arthur Miller's Incident at Vichy (available on Broadway HD). The two share Hartford Stage as an artistic home; there Wilson saw Thomas in his title role performances -- Peer Gynt, Hamlet & Richard III, directed by Mark Lamos -- and later, as Artistic Director (1998-2011), he produced Thomas in Edward Albee's Tiny Alice (1998) & as Tennessee Williams in A Distant Country Called Youth (2002).
Wilson also produced the late Hal Holbrook at Hartford Stage in Our Town (2007) & Mark Twain Tonight! (2012).
A Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle Awards winning director, Wilson's Broadway productions include Gore Vidal's The Best Man, Old Acquaintance, Enchanted April, & Horton Foote's Dividing the Estate & The Trip to Bountiful, which garnered a TONY Award for star Cicely Tyson. Off-Broadway, Wilson has directed premieres by Eve Ensler, Marcus Gardley, Rebecca Gilman, David Grimm, John Guare, Beth Henley, & Christopher Shinn, as well as revivals by Tennessee Williams & Lanford Wilson. He commissioned, developed & directed Horton Foote’s 3-part, 9-hour play The Orphans’ Home Cycle, winning Lortel & NY Drama & Outer Critics Circle Best Play awards.
Wilson made his screen directing debut with the Lifetime-Ostar Productions television movie adaptation of The Trip to Bountiful, earning DGA & NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Director.
A Morehead-Scholar graduate in Dramatic Art from UNC-Chapel Hill, Wilson holds a Honorary Doctorate from the University of Hartford & is the recipient of the Princess Grace Statue, Daryl Roth Creative Spirit, SDC President's, & National Association of Governor's Awards for Distinguished Service to the Arts.
BRIAN PRATHER (Scenic Design)
BRIAN PRATHER (Scenic Design). Off-Broadway work includes Daniel’s Husband (Primary Stages), Mrs. Warren’s Profession (Gingold Theatre Group), Becoming Dr. Ruth (Westside Theatre), and Freud’s Last Session (New World Stages), and many other productions. Brian has worked internationally at the Chung-mu Hall (South Korea). Regionally at TheaterWorks Hartford, Asolo Rep., Alley Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, Barrington Stage Co., Virginia Rep., Broad Stage, Mercury Theatre, Delaware Theatre Co., Penguin Rep., among many others. Received the Joseph Jefferson Award (Chicago), two Berkshire Theatre Critics Assoc. Awards, and nominated for an Emmy (New England) for the design of “The Kate” concert series on Public Television. Brian is Asst. Professor of Scene Design at Central Connecticut State University and an Associate Artist at Barrington Stage Co. www.brianprather.com.
ANTHONY PEARSON (Lighting Design)
Anthony Pearson is a New York based Lighting Designer who’s projects include: Tarzan (Germany), Revolution, A Celebration of Prince (NCL Aqua), Distant Thunder (New York), Red Bucket Follies (Broadway), Jekyll & Hyde (Australia), Disney on Broadway (Broadway, Buffalo NY), Apollo 11 50th Anniversary at Washington Monument, Freer Sackler Gallery Re-Opening, Boeing 100th Anniversary at Boeing Field (59 Productions), Tug of War: Foreign Fire (Chicago Shakespeare), Ah Wilderness!, Other Desert Cities, My Brilliant Divorce, Hamlet; Prince of Cuba (Asolo Rep), Anything Goes (US Tour), Fiends the Freaquel & Celtic Fyre (Busch Gardens Williamsburg). In addition to his own work, Anthony has collaborated extensively with Broadway Designers to provided Associate Lighting Design services, Credits include: Once Upon A One More Time, New York New York, Some Like It Hot (Broadway), Beetlejuice (Broadway, Australia), Diana (Broadway, Netflix), Frozen (Broadway, US Tour, Netherlands, Japan, Australia), Hello Dolly (Broadway), Kinky Boots (Broadway, US Tour, Australia), Tuck Everlasting (Broadway), Chicago (US Tour, Spain, Argentina, Netherlands), On Your Feet (Broadway), An American in Paris (Broadway, Paris), Pippin (Broadway, US Tour, Japan), Porgy & Bess, We Will Rock You (US Tour), Finian’s Rainbow, Boeing Boeing (Broadway), The Drowsy Chaperone (US Tour, West End) & Rent (Asia Tour). Other projects include New Year’s Eve Celebrations from Times Square NY (2007- 2015) and his hometown of Sydney, Australia (2004).
SAM FLEMING (Costume Design)
Sam Fleming's costume designs have been seen at theatres across the country including the Los Angeles Opera. San Francisco Opera (world premiere of Dead Man Walking). Alley Theatre in Houston. Arizona Theatre Co. Atlanta's Alliance Theatre Company, Playmaker's Repertory Company, Hartford Stage Company. Denver Center Theatre Company. Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Peterborough Players, Center Stage in Baltimore, Skylight Opera Theatre, Texas Opera Theatre, ACT Seattle, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre (Craig Lucas's award-winning Reckless). She designed over 50 productions for Milwaukee Repertory Theater during her 14 years with the company. Off-Broadway, she has worked with the Mint Theatre Co, Pearl Theatre Manhattan Class Company and The Womens' Project Sam has designed for both Juilliard Opera and Queens College. She served as US Associate Costume Designer for The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway & tours. Currently serving as US Associate for Beauty and the Beast, Les Misérables and A Beautiful Noise tours.
SHANNON SLATON (Sound Design)
SHANNON SLATON (Sound Design) on Broadway has designed The Illusionists and My Window: Melissa Etheridge, he has designed many national tours including Elf; Shrek; Once on this Island; The Producers; Kiss Me, Kate; Noise/Funk; The Full Monty; Contact; A Chorus Line; Tap Dogs; Sweeney Todd; The Wizard of Oz; The Drowsy Chaperone; and The Wedding Singer. Shows he has mixed on Broadway include Springsteen on Broadway, Man of La Mancha, Bombay Dreams, A Christmas Carol, Sweet Charity, Jersey Boys, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Drowsy Chaperone, Spring Awakening, Fela!, Anything Goes, Annie, Legally Blonde, and Cabaret.
CAMPBELL YOUNG ASSOCIATES / LUC VERSCHUEREN (Hair, Wig, and Make-Up Design)
Broadway/West End: Water for Elephants; Back to the Future; A Beautiful Noise; Stranger Things: The First Shadow; Funny Girl; Tina–The Tina Turner Musical (Drama Desk); The Hills of California; Leopoldstadt; To Kill A Mockingbird; The Music Man; Hello, Dolly!; Girl From The North Country; Les Misérables; Matilda; Billy Elliot. Film/TV: “Only Murders in the Building,” “The Gilded Age,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
ERIN ALBRECHT (Production Supervisor)
Previously at NETworks: Blue Man Group North American Tour. Touring: Blue Man Group- Gran Canaria, Spain and Shanghai, China residencies, World Tour, National Tour, Quest; Arts for Everyone. Off-Broadway: The Pearl, NY Classical, Westside, Friendly Fire. Regional: Court Theatre, Arena Stage, American Players Theatre, Arkansas Rep, Blue Man Group Chicago, Phoenix Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival and others. MFA in Stage Management from Virginia Tech, Bachelor of Music from Catholic University of America.
RYAN PARLIMENT (Company Manager)
Ryan Parliament is excited to be part of Mark Twain Tonight! National Tours include Les Misérables, The Sound of Music, Dirty Dancing, The Bridges of Madison County, NETworks presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Riverdance. He earned his M.B.A from the University of North Florida, completed undergraduate studies at the University of Central Florida.
THE BOOKING GROUP (Tour Booking Agency)
THE BOOKING GROUP has represented 28 Tony Award® winning Best Musicals and Plays. Current tours include The Book of Mormon, Boop! Buena Vista Social Club, Chicago, Funny Girl, Hadestown, Hamilton, Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Just In Time, Mamma Mia!, Richard Thomas in Mark Twain Tonight!, MJ The Musical, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Notebook, Oh Mary!, Operation Mincemeat, Parade, Real Woman Have Curves, Six, Some Like It Hot, Suffs, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Waitress and The Wiz.
GENTRY & ASSOCIATES / MADELINE McCLUSKEY (General Manager)
GENTRY & ASSOCIATES has managed nearly 250 national and international touring theatrical productions over the past 25 years. Current and upcoming productions include A Beautiful Noise, Beetlejuice, The Book of Mormon, Boop! The Musical, The Great Gatsby, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Mark Twain Tonight!, Cameron Mackintosh presents Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, Water for Elephants and The Wiz.
KENT McINGVALE & COMPANY (Tour Press & Marketing)
Kent McIngvale currently leads the marketing and press campaigns for the national tours of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, Mark Twain Tonight!, A Magical Cirque Christmas, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas, Dog Man: The Musical! and consults with Transcendence Theatre Company in Sonoma. Recent projects include marketing and press campaigns for the national tours of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Hairspray, Jersey Boys (14 seasons on tour), Beautiful – the Carole King Musical (6 seasons on tour), and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. www.kentmco.com
HANNAH ROSENTHAL (Executive Producer)
Hannah Rosenthal has worked with NETworks Presentations since 2018 on tours including Anastasia, To Kill A Mockingbird, Funny Girl and Life of Pi. She is the Co-Founder of CreateHER and a proud graduate of the University of Michigan. Love to Alex and her family.
NETWORKS PRESENTATIONS / ALEX WILLIAMS (Production Management)
Current and upcoming productions include A Beautiful Noise, Beetlejuice, The Book of Mormon, Boop! The Musical, The Great Gatsby, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Mark Twain Tonight!, Cameron Mackintosh presents Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, Water for Elephants and The Wiz. networkstours.com
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