By CRISTINA TRAPANI-SCOTT
This evening, when the Tecumseh Players take the stage for their first performance of Sam and Laura, the cast will play before the playwright Ron Powers.
Powers, who lives in Vermont, arrived in Tecumseh Thursday afternoon and spent Friday exploring Tecumseh. He sat down with Herald reporters Cristina Trapani-Scott and Mickey Alvarado at City Limits Diner to talk about his research on Mark Twain for his book Mark Twain: A Life that led him to the little-known story Sam and Laura.
In addition to his books on Mark Twain, Powers collaborated with Edward M. Kennedy on Kennedy’s memoirs, True Compass, and wrote the book White Town Drowsing: Journey to Hannibal, chronicling his journey back his hometown of Hannibal, also Twain’s hometown. Along with winning the Pulitzer Prize for journalism, Powers won an Emmy in 1985 for his commentaries on the long running Sunday news show CBS Sunday Morning.
Powers saw the dress rehearsal and is pleased with the Tecumseh production of the play. He said the cast was sensational and complemented the director.
“The director, Lance Weismann, conceived of the play beautifully. He added a lot of very intelligent stagecraft and movement that deepens the understanding of what’s going on,” said Powers.
Curtain times for Sam and Laura are 7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 1, and Saturday, Oct. 2, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3., at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts, 400 N. Maumee Street in Tecumseh. For more information call the TCA at 423.6617.
A full feature on the Herald’s conversation with Powers will appear in next week’s edition.
