Event Brief 02/17/15

Overview Timeline Event Name: Mark Twain Event 7:30pm-YOU arrive (your tickets are at Date & Time: Today 7:30 PM- 9:30 PM Will Call) Location: The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave, Hartford, CT 06106 (William H. 7:35pm – Performance ensues Mortensen Hall) (includes a brief intermission) (1,700+ Contact: Cindy Lovell, Exec. Dir. in attendance) 860-250-6850 (cell) 860-280-3127 9:30 – Mark Twain House Board Pres. Composed by: Gillian 860-985-5528 Freedman and Exec. Dir. Lovell will Logistics take the stage to thank sponsors & Hosts: The Bushnell lead audience in singing Happy VIPs: Birthday to Hal Holbrook  Mayor Pedro E. Segarra 9:35 – Cindy Lovell, the Exc. Dir. of the  Mark Twain House Board President museum, will introduce YOU Joel Freedman 9:40 pm-YOU say a few words  Cindy Lovell, Executive Director of acknowledging Hal Holbrook’s 90th Mark Twain House & Museum birthday and present him with a proclamation designating today as Hal  Hal Holbrook, Starring Actor Holbrook Day in Connecticut

9:45pm – Lovell will introduce Mayor Segarra to say a few words

* YOU are invited to remain backstage where 150 VIP guests will join for a dessert reception. This is OPTIONAL

Goal / Purpose: YOU attend the show and briefly speak to honor Hal Holbrook to thank him for his 60 years of performing in every state, in 20 countries and before five presidents as Mark Twain. Event Brief 02/17/15

Topline Message:  The Mark Twain House & Museum is presenting Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight.  The event marks Mr. Holbrook’s 90th birthday and benefits the Mark Twain House.

 President Obama wrote a letter honoring Holbrook for the event and YOU signed a proclamation announcing today as Hal Holbrook Day.

 YOU should offer thanks to the critically acclaimed actor and show support for Connecticut’s historic Mark Twain House. Event Brief 02/17/15

KEY FACTS  Harold Rowe or "Hal" Holbrook, Jr. is an American film and stage actor that was born in Cleveland, Ohio.

 He graduated from the Culver Academies and Denison University, where an honors project about Mark Twain led him to develop the one-man show in 1954, a series of performances called Mark Twain Tonight

 Hal Holbrook has been portraying American author and humorist, Mark Twain for audiences for six decades.

 Mark Twain was born as Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835 he famously wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, nicknamed "The Great American Novel".

 The Mark Twain House and Museum was his home from 1874 to 1891 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA.

 Holbrook is an Emmy-and Tony-Award winning actor who is best known for his performance as Mark Twain for which he won a Tony and the first of his ten Emmy Award nominations.

 This event is significant because Holbrook is returning to city that Mark Twain called home for twenty years.

 Holbrook made his film debut in Sidney Lymet’s Group (1966).

 He gained international fame for his performance as Deep Throat in the 1976 film All the President’s Men.

 Notable roles include the 1976 television series, Lincoln, Julia (1977), The Fog (1980), and Creepshow (1982).

 Holbrook's later career included roles in Into the Wild (2007), for which he Event Brief 02/17/15

was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Academy Award, as well as a recurring role on the FX series Sons of Anarchy, and as Francis Preston Blair in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln (2012).

 Holbrook also served in the U.S. Army in World War II and was stationed in Newfoundland where he performed in theatre productions such as the play Madam Precious. Event Brief 02/17/15

TALKING POINTS

 Hello. Thank you for the kind introduction.

 I am so happy to be here tonight to personally say Happy Birthday to and congratulate Emmy and Tony Award winning actor Hal Holbrook on his amazing performance tonight.

 Today marks six decades of his performing in every state, in 20 countries, and before five presidents as legendary American author Mark Twain.

 And of course, Hal’s performance will benefit the Mark Twain house, which represents a special part of Connecticut’s rich culture.

 As Hal has said, “Mark Twain is something precious to me. It’s my side arm through life.”

 Thank you Hal Holbrook. I’m honored to present you with a proclamation designating today, as Hal Holbrook Day in Connecticut.

Event Brief 02/17/15