Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
| AGAWAM The Agawam Cultural Council, as part of the second season of their APPLAUSE series, is sponsoring an opportunity to step back in time to the 1880s in Hartford and visit with Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) and his wife Olivia (Olivia Langdon Clemens). The performance will take place at the Agawam Public Library, 750 Cooper Street, on Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Attendees will see the clothes they wore and hear about the process of Twain's writing of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Olivia's contribution as editor. Actors John Pogson and Lisa Steier have portrayed Twain and Livy since 1996, starting at Connecticut's first Mark Twain Days. Using excerpts from the Clemens' personal correspondence and Twain's private papers, Pogson and Steier illustrate the arduous creation, over seven years, of Huck Finn and the mixed reactions the work received. Pogson began educating himself about Mark Twain after several people commented on his remarkable resemblance to the famous author and humorist. As Pogson studied, he realized he shared many of the author's interests, hobbies and opinions. These shared characteristics reinforce his accurate and authentic portrayal of Clemens. Steier has been acting in Connecticut for a number of years, including participating in "living history" at the Mark Twain House and Museum. Her interest in Olivia Clemens increased as she prepared for the role and came to understand Olivia's significant contribution to Mark Twain's life and work. The Agawam Cultural Council, an all-volunteer organization, is funded, in part, by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is charged with enhancing opportunities to enrich the lives of the community through the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences. |