Young Groton Playwright to Adapt "Tom Sawyer" for Stage

As the Mark Twain House’s summer playwright-in-residence, Noah will create a play from the time-tested novel, first published in 1876. He says he hopes to make the adaptation “modern and relevant.”

 

Noah already has proven himself as a playwright. His first play, Making the Move, premiered last summer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and has since been licensed for production by more than 50 high schools in 21 states.

 

Noah will immerse himself in Twain not only through his residency in the Hartford home where Twain wrote Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Prince and The Pauper, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, but also through visits to the writer’s homes in Hannibal, Missouri and Elmira, New York.

 

“At the age of 17, a young Samuel Clemens, later known as Mark Twain, set out from Hannibal, Missouri to find his destiny. It is with great excitement and anticipation that we support another 17-year-old writer on a similar journey,” said Mark Twain House Executive Director Cindy Lovell. “I look forward to hearing about his adventures as he develops his play of this American classic.”

 

Noah believes Twain’s work is more important now than ever. “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is timeless, ageless, and universal,” Noah said. “Tom Sawyer is the quintessential American boy whose life and lessons are just as relevant to our time as they were to Twain’s.” As for his adaptation, Noah said, “I want to separate the story’s deep truths from the surface facts, creating a piece that speaks not to Twain’s world, but to his heart.”