As it seems to have been then, so it may remain today.... 

Having toured as Twain for many years, i have encountered a wide variety of audiences in varied settings across America. I have gathered some interesting data and observations about the nature of the Twain audience. Some items that may be of interest follow:

Upper-crust, informed, literate people seem to form the bulk of my live, paid adult audiences. But today's travel, entertainment alternatives, and the internet creates an entirely different type of audience. For example, the  demographic responding to an ad I run on Facebook is 90% African- American. About 40% of that group seem to watch one 3-minute clip from my website. The apparent approximate age of that audience suggests they may be reading HF in school. I am exploring ways to use that response and the FB phenomenon to convert their school experience into a creative, proactive life experience. Films, webisodes and live performance/lectures have been produced and more are in development. These have included interviews with newsmakers, thought leaders and innovators from the 19th century. Live performances often include q&a segments following a short lecture; or scripted theatrical pieces following Twain's (and Holbrook's) format. 

I invite members of this forum to suggest ideas that might be used to advance the use of Twain to inspire creative thinking as a means of overcoming adversity in its many forms.


Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 30, 2015, at 12:58 PM, Scott Holmes <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> Trying to come up with a description or a summary of Mark Twain's
> audience, I think, is ultimately un-doable. As I've been collecting the
> reviews for his shows with George Cable I have wondered if anything of
> substance can be gleaned from them.  The comments I can recall about the
> audience(s) have all been rather subjective statements about them being
> the upper crust of the local population - the most literate, the best
> dressed, the most intelligent. It's difficult to tell what this says in
> truth about any particular show as opposed to what it tells us about any
> particular reviewer (who remains nameless behind the masthead).
> 
> At best, I think, we wind up with a collection of anecdotes.  But as
> with most things related to Twain - it's fun to try.
> 
> 
> -- 
> There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of
>                          in your philosophy.
>                        http://bscottholmes.com