The shade of world famous author Mark Twain will visit Smiths Falls starting on Friday, July 16 for six performances at the new Station Theatre. Mark Twain's Patent Scrapbook is a one-man show that takes its audience on a funny and informative tour of the life and works of one of the most influential authors and successful humourists of all time.

The Smiths Falls Community Theatre, having recently opened their new theatre on Victoria Avenue in Smiths Falls, are working in cooperation with Perth's BarnDoor Productions to present the performances as a fund-raising show for the new Full Circle Theatre that BarnDoor is building in Perth. The two theatre buildings will share many aspects, including similar size and facilities and the fact that both are the result of restoration of heritage buildings in their respective towns.

Mark Twain's Patent Scrapbook is performed by BarnDoor Productions' Producing Director, David Jacklin, well-known in Eastern Ontario for his nearly three decades of producing, writing, performing and more in the region, although the show actually goes back further than that -- Jacklin first performed an earlier version 33 years ago, when he was 21 years old! 2010 is the 100th anniversary of the death of Mark Twain, and Jacklin thought it an appropriate time to bring the show back to life.

And, "life" is an appropriate word, here. Audience members at performances in other places in the region last spring dubbed the show "a tour de force!", saying "it needs to be seen!". Jacklin's performance received high praise, with one audience member declaring that they "quickly forgot that it wasn't actually Mark Twain up there."

The show traces Twain's life and writings from his birth on the shores of the Mississippi River in the 1830s through his adventures in the Old West, his earliest stories and through to his late life musings on death, heaven and hell. Even one hundred years after his passing, Twain continues to cause controversy with the long-anticipated November 2010 publication of his autobiography, a book he refused to allow into print until one hundred years after his death.

Mark Twain's Patent Scrapbook takes its name from one of Twain's most successful inventions, a patented "self-sticking" scrapbook. The pastings in this scrapbook include ramblings about life on the Mississippi, the famous story of My Grandfather's Old Ram, a reading from Huckleberry Finn, and even some material that may never have seen the light of day before. It is filled with fun and laughter, and a few serious thoughts about life, guaranteed to be a memorable evening for its audience.

Hard on the heels of the Mark Twain will be a second production from BarnDoor -- the magical, mystical, musical and remarkable drama Dark of the Moon. Running July 31, August 5, 6, 7 at 8:00 p.m. and August 1 at 2:00 p.m., Dark of the Moon is a story of forbidden love, set against a background of 1900s Tennessee. With a cast of nearly 20, lots of music and lots of excitement, it is this region's biggest production of the summer and one that is entirely unique.

Mark Twain's Patent Scrapbook runs July 16, 17, 22, 23, 24 at 8:00 p.m. and July 18 at 2:00 p.m. at the Station Theatre, 63 Victoria Avenue, Smiths Falls. Tickets are $20 reserved or $23 at the door; students and children are $12 anytime. For information or to reserve tickets for either production, simply call 613 267 1884. No credit cards are required: cash only on ticket pickup, please.