Jim Post performs as Mark Twain at Stonefield
PLATTEVILLE - Jim Post, nationally renowned for his performances as Mark Twain, will present his critically acclaimed and award-winning performance "Mark Twain and the Laughing River" at 8 p.m., Aug. 14 at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Center for the Arts.
All proceeds will benefit the Stonefield State Historic Site, located in Cassville and owned and operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Named for its stone fences, Stonefield is the 2,000-acre historic site that was farmed by Wisconsin's first governor, Nelson Dewey. Today the land is used as a way to look into the past. Dewey's home has been rebuilt on the original location and accompanies a re-created 1900s farming village containing a confectionery, saloon, livery stable and newspaper office among other shops and establishments, all of which may be explored by visitors.
The historic village will benefit from the Aug. 14 performance of "Mark Twain and the Laughing River." Inspired by the little-known fact that Twain sang tenor and played banjo, guitar and piano, Galena resident Jim Post created an exceptional musical experience about Twain's childhood. Post composed 12 songs mingled with dialogue, history, humor and nostalgia. The show has traveled all the way to the English Speaking Theatre in Vienna, Austria, and in 1997 "Mark Twain and the Laughing River" was awarded the American Library Association Award for Notable Recordings, making it recommended listening by every library in America.
Among Post's other accomplishments are 20 albums of mostly original folk music. His one venture into rock and roll produced an international hit and placed him in one of the most popular exhibits in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Post's first play, "Galena Rose: How Whiskey Won the West," was written in 1986 and has been performed over 1,500 times. Post's most recent piece is "Mark Twain's Adventures Out West," which was inspired by Twain's book "Roughing It."
Tickets for "Mark Twain and the Laughing River" are $22 for adults, $20 for those under 18 or UWP students and $18 for senior citizens. For tickets call the university box office at (608) 342-1298.
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