Fort Hays State University - Reveille Yearbook (Hays, KS)

Page 29 text:

Richters draws on nearly two years of research on Mark Twain when does his im- personation. Richters make-up transformation takes three full hours to complete and ages him 50 years. When Richters takes to the stage he looks nothing like the man he was just hours before. For props, Richters used a chair, table, lighted desk lamp, coffee and a dozen cigars. But it was not the make-up or the setting that made the delightful character believable. It is in the words that the audience found the real man — even when the words weren ' t realty his. Only Richters ' had some idea of what Mark Twain probably would have said. Twain ' s keen observa- tions, taken from the author ' s writings and Richter ' s own interpreta- tion of the character, were funny, yet pointed out the failings of the human condition. Religion, politics, old age, and even himself were not spared satirical jobs. Many of Clemens ' jokes were localized. According to the salty old gentleman. Big Creek runs right past Hays without even stopping to look. ' Secondly, University Preside nt Gerald Tomanek was renamed ' Tomaniac ' in a series of jokes about the school and the president ' s application for employment. I ' m glad I could make you laugh ' Twain said, reclining slowly in his chair and relighting his cigar, rr | came to Hays for that reason — so I could make you laugh. You laughed at things you knew, like President ' Tomaniac ' , ond even at God, he said. ' ‘Some don ' t like to laugh at God, ' cause they think he doesn’t have a sense of humor. But took at the person sitting next to youl r Tve been told that one out of four people are ugly. If there are four people sitting at your table, figure out which one of you it is. I don ' t have anything against ugly people, as long as you don ' t go around touchin ' me or nothin ' ! As everyone laughed. Twain was at once serious. We don ' t laugh enough at ourselves — silly creatures that we are ’ he said. We are filled with self-importance. I know something children, that all of us wish to grow up and become adults. But the older you get, the more important you think you are, ,r l came to make you laugh, so you wouldn ' t be in such a rush to grow older. I went back to the cave in Hannibal that I used to play in as a child. I used to pretend I was a pirate searching for treasure. I told you about some of my adventures in the book Huck Finn. 11 In those days when nothing seems 10 uc the way it is supposed to, just close your eyes and be a pirate again and everything will again seem worthwhile. If you want something deep inside your heart, just keep on praying .. Samuel Longhorne Clemens advised. ' Twain soon got tired, voicing his farewell and shuffled off the stage. Summed up in the immortal words of Mark Twain: ! am never more tickled than when I laugh at myself, Since his death in 1910, Twain still continues to bring laughter and wisdom to millions of readers around the world. Actor Ken Richters ' per- formance provided a fresh portrayal af the celebrated author, reminding many that life must be enjoyed to its fullest. MARK TWAIN 25

Page 28 text:

by Jill Grant Kan Richters becomes Mark Twain over 200 times very year when he takes his one-man show on the road. Dressed in a crumpled white linen suit and equipped with a shot of whiskey and a cigar, Mark Twain shuffled on to the stage and sat down stiffly in his grey rocking chair. I wouldn’t want to offend Hays, Kansas by telling you this is the end of the world ' the white- haired old man declared, staring at the After-Dinner Theatre audience seriously, but you can see it from here. This town is pretty nice, though. H ' s the only town for 2,000 miles. You never have to worry about unexpected visitors, do you? Of course, the real Samuel Langhorne Clemens never would have joked about Hays, or Fort Hays State, Univer sity. Back in 1894, when Mark Twain was under- taking a world lecture tour to pull himself out of bankruptcy. Hays existed merely os a fort and saloon town. But the actor who por- trayed Twain did. Ken Richters entertained a lively dinner theatre crowd on Oct. 8, with his one-man show Mark Twain On Tour. His transformation into the elderly Twain took him three full hours to com- plete. The make-up ses- sion — a performance in itself — was open to the public. At 5 p.m. Richter sat in the Stouffer Lounge and painted lines and shadows on his face, while answering questions from reporters and theatre majors. I ' ve developed this make-up routine on my own, Richters said, os he drew brown lines under his eyes and puffed on a cigarette . Plenty of practice has enabled Richters to field questions from reporters, tell stories, and even joke while concentrating on the make-up that will age him 50 years. Mark Twain On Tour has been touring univer- sities and theatres throughout the United States, Canada, and abroad since 1978. Richters does his show over 200 times a year. In his impersonation, he draws from nearly six hours worth of material obtained from over two years of research into the life and works of the famous author. Every night ' s perfor- mance is different, depending on the audience. he said. When Richters was in high school, he did o reading from Tom Sawyer for extra credit in an English class. During his acting career, Richters has been featured on several televi- sion series, but he grew tired of television. I wanted to be an actor, not a personality, Richters said. His original plan was to return to Broadway and do some plays. On a return trip from Los Angeles to Connecticut in 1976, Richters ' car broke down in Hannibal, Missouri, the hometown of Mark Twain. I was stuck in the land of Mark Twain for two days, he said. I stayed in a Mark Twain hotel, with Mark Twain bathrooms, and shopped at the Mark Twain drugstore. I’m no idiot. It took me 48 hours to figure out that I should do Mark Twain. 24 MARK TWAIN

Page 30 text:

Martin Shapiro, professor of musk, is the driv- ing force behind the Classic Film Series which brought the movies Carmen, Broadway Danny Rose, Dante ana The Horses Mouth to Fort Hays State. 26 CLASSIC FILMS