On Sunday, April 11 at 2 p.m., actor Will Stutts will bring his renowned one-man show, Mark Twain’s America to Pell City.  Over one million people have enjoyed this production, and the Pell City Library, together with the Pell City Library Guild will host the event which will take place at the Pell City Center. 

Will Stutts has worked longer and more in the genre of the one-person play than almost any other actor in the world.  In a career spanning over three decades, Stutts has performed in 39 states, three Canadian provinces and in over 1,000 single engagements, but it all started at the University of North Alabama in an American Lit Class.  Knowing of Stutts’ interest in the theatre, his professor asked him to perform a skit to tie in with the course.  Stutts said that he chose to perform as Mark Twain because of its universal appeal.  Says Stutts, “Mark Twain is special because it’s for English students, literature students, writing students, and drama students. It cuts across all disciplines.” That was the beginning for this Alabama native who is hailed as the “master of the one-man show” by the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Stutts has gone on to perform other one-act shows, including but not limited to “Journey Through the Mind . . . Edgar Allan Poe,”  “Walt Whitman: Liberal and Lusty as Nature,” “Noel Coward at the Café de Paris,” and  “Frank Lloyd Wright.”  Of his Tennessee Williams production, News Journal, Wilmington Delaware writes, “Nobody anywhere is a better actor than Will Stutts . . . His Tennessee Williams is a powerful piece of theatre . . . You will thrill at the sheer artistry on stage.”  

As he reflects on his career, and his various productions, Stutts admonishes that after all these years it isn’t difficult to portray the beloved Mark Twain.  Says Stutts, “My comfort level is like putting on some old cashmere sweater.  You know every crease in it.  I could probably do six hours of Mark Twain material.  I pick and choose as I go along.  Some things are crowd-pleasers.  A lot depends on the audience and the response.  In the first few minutes, I get an idea of where they’re coming from.”  Stutts admits that he has read just about everything written about Mark Twain, and as new works are published he reads them too.  As he reads, he mixes old with new, incorporating both into shows that are new and fresh.  “That’s what keeps it alive and keeps me from going nuts,” admits Stutts. Through his productions,  Stutts says that he endeavors to reveal the context of the author’s stories— how these stories came about for the author.  

Stutts is good at what he does. Acting is in the blood for this Alabama native, who is second cousin to the legendary actress, Tallulah Bankhead.  He attended Yale University‘s School  of Drama before appearing in more than a score Off-Broadway shows.  He has acted and/or directed at virtually every major regional theatre in the United States. 

Stutts brings his renowned, Mark Twain’s America to Pell City in connection with the Pell City Library’s participation in the state-wide endeavor, The Big Read:  Alabama Reads The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.  The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.  This event is made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.  Advance tickets to the production are available at the Pell City Library.  Advance tickets are $4.00.  Tickets may also be purchased at the door on the date of the performance at the Pell City Center for $5.00.  Any proceeds will benefit the Pell City Library.