Dorset Theatre Festival Closes 2015 Season with THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER Tonight

As the final show of their 2015 Mainstage Season, Dorset Theatre Festival will present The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Laura Eason, adapted from the novel by Mark Twain. Continuing the tradition of closing out the summer season with a fall presentation open to and specifically geared towards families and school groups, Tom Sawyer follows 2014's Travels with Mark Twain (starring Ron Crawford) and 2013's This Verse Business (starring Gordon Clapp as poet Robert Frost).

Directing the production is Dorset favorite Kirk Jackson. Audiences will remember Jackson from his engaging portrayal of the great detective Sherlock Holmes in this summer's production of Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily. He also performed at Dorset in 2012's Deathtrap. He has directed at theatres across the country including Hubbard Hall, Capital Repertory Theatre, the Studio Theatre in Washington, DC, and Actors Theatre of Phoenix, and has assisted director Ivo van Hove on several groundbreaking productions, including Scenes from a Marriage at New York Theatre Workshop. He is also a Bennington College Faculty member.

Playwright Laura Eason is the author of a number of plays including The Undeniable Sound of Right Now, featured in DTF's 2012 New Play Reading Series. She is also a writer on the acclaimed Netflix Series House of Cards starring Kevin Spacey. Mark Twain, of course, is one of America's most beloved writers and satirists, the author of many novels and short stories including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Adam and Eve.

The cast for this upcoming production will feature some of the region's top actors as well as some young up-and-coming performers from around the country. Local audiences will recognize Kim Johnson Turner and Doug Ryan alongside Sage Theatre Institute alum Matthew McFadden. Recent Bennington College graduates Andrew Duff, Eve Neuhart, Cody Sullivan, Nick DiLeonardi and former Dorset Theatre Festival Apprentice Sean Patrick O'Brien round out the cast.

"We are delighted to be able to present this lively and charming adaptation to the audiences of the region," says Artistic Director Dina Janis, "There is something magical about the nature of live performance that we believe will help really bring this treasured story to life for our audience. Whether it is a student's first experience of the story, or a lifelong Twain fan returning to Tom Sawyer after many years, this is a wonderful way to engage with these characters."

Along with a series of educational matinees, public performances will run tonight, September 9th, through 12th at 8 pm, with a public matinee on the 12th at 3 pm. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for students and $8 for youth 12 years old and younger. Group rates are also available. For tickets or information, visit www.dorsettheatrefestival.org or call the box office at 802-867-2223. For more information about educational matinees or school group sales, contact Kit Wallace (kit@dorsettheatrefestival.org or 802-867-2223 x122).

Pictured: Nick Dileonardi, Matthew McFadden, Andrew Duff, Cody Sullivan, Eve Neuhart, Sean Patrick O'Brien, Kim Johnson-Turner, Doug Ryan. Photo Courtesy of DTF.

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