The Twilight Zone Play Draws On Iconic Show

Elmira, NY (09/13/2019) — Acclaimed author and playwright, Mark Dawidziak, and his Largely Literary Theatre Company co-founder, Sara Showman, will perform a one-act play, "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in The Twilight Zone," based on episodes of the popular television series, "The Twilight Zone," on Wednesday, September 25 at 7:00 p.m. in Gibson Theatre. The performance is free and open to the public.

The play, written by and co-starring Showman, weaves the story of how and why Dawidziak constructed his recent book, "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in The Twilight Zone," around the history and themes of the show. He touches on themes and characters drawn from episodes of the original television series such as "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," "The Obsolete Man," "One for the Angels," "A Passage for Trumpet," "Escape Clause," "The Howling Man," "Printer's Devil," "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," and "To Serve Man" and "Living Doll."

Following the performance, Anne Serling '77, daughter of the show's creator Rod Serling and an Elmira College alumna, will take part in a Q&A. In her 2013 book, "As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling," Serling reveals the fun-loving dad and family man behind the imposing figure the public saw hosting "The Twilight Zone" each week.

Dawidziak is a television critic for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, as well as an acclaimed author, playwright, director, and actor who often portrays Twain in performances. He is also a Twain scholar and author of a number of books, including "The Shawshank Redemption Revealed: How One Story Keeps Hope Alive," "Mark Twain for Cat Lovers: True and Imaginary Adventures with Feline Friends," and "The Columbo Phile: A Casebook."

Dawidziak and Showman founded the Largely Literary Theater Company in 2002 to promote literature, literacy, and live theater. They have performed their two-person Mark Twain shows at Quarry Farm in Elmira, New York, and the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut.

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Acclaimed author and playwright, Mark Dawidziak, will perform a one-act play, "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in The Twilight Zone," based on episodes of the popular television series, “The Twilight Zone,” on Wednesday, September 25 at 7:00 p.m. in Gibson Theatre. The performance is free and open to the public.