Actors' Summit Proudly Presents:
American Mirrors - A True Summer Repertory

Four shows performing in two spaces. See them all in one weekend, or see one a week for a month. Actors' Summit creates professional theater with Ohio artists. American Mirrors is our first summer festival. It is, and will be in future years, devoted to a celebration of what makes our culture unique. This first season of American Mirrors features three icons of our culture: Mark Twain, Nat “King” Cole, Clarence Darrow; and one wild example of American musical theater.
Unforgettable
The life and times of Nat “King” Cole

The story of a great jazz pianist who became From his childhood in Chicago to his worldwide fame—His life, His Art and His Music come alive. Written by Neil Thackaberry and performed by Reggie Scott, the play not only reprises Cole’s greatest hits, it tells the stories of a man who, through hard work and talent built a remarkable career, and helped America begin to fulfill its promise.

“In a world weary of war, politics and terror, ‘Unforgettable’ offers a pleasurable escape hatch to a simpler time made all the sweeter by nostalgia.” - Fran Heller, Cleveland Jewish News.

Download and print the complete performance schedule

Don't Hug Me
Book & Lyrics by Phil Olson, Music by Paul Olson

Don’t Hug Me is an award winning musical comedy that takes place in a rustic north-woods bar in tiny Bunyan Bay, Minnesota. Here the women love to hunt and fish, and the men want to move to Florida.

"A love story with singin' and stuff," is how brothers Phil and Paul Olson, co-creators of the play describe it.

When Actors’ Summit presented the regional premiere in the summer of 2006, David Ritchie in the West Side Leader wrote:

“The silly lines come at the audience fast and furiously, and the members of the audience laugh so much they almost stop the show.”

Returning stars Frank Jackman and MaryJo Alexander are joined by Keith Stevens and Kathleen Culler.

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Mark Twain
Semi-literate Lecturer, Liar & Loafer

America’s greatest story teller is brought to life by Ric Goodwin who has been performing the Twain character for the past 25 years. A full 90 minutes of Twain’s stories, quips, and observations explores his careers as author, journalist, traveler and raconteur. From chilling (but humorous) ghost stories, to tall (but humorous) tales, to scathing (but humorous) observations, Twain displays the genius that has< made him the quintessence of American literature.

“Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.”

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Clarence Darrow
A one-man play by David W. Rintels, based on Irving Stone’s Clarence Darrow for the Defense. Starring Neil Thackaberry

One of the most influential attorneys of the 19th and 20th centuries, Clarence Darrow was at the cutting edge of liberal causes from 1880 until his death in 1938. From the Scopes Monkey Trial, to Leopold & Loeb, from his defense of Eugene V. Debbs and the labor movement, to his fight against racial prejudice in the trial of Dr. Ossian Sweet, Clarence Darrow was the most famous attorney of his generation.

“Thackaberry's sheer skill and striking demeanor in creating this intimate story make for an engrossing experience.” - Kerry Clawson, Beacon Journal.

“The big bluff talents of Neil Thackaberry make you forget that you're in a theater.” - Tony Brown, Plain Dealer.

Thackaberry makes Darrow charming, kind and brilliant...Thackaberry’s excellent acting had lifted me to a point of not knowing where the actor ended and the character started.” - David Ritchie, West Side Leader.

Download and print the complete performance schedule



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