Mark Twain, pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), was born November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri. In 1862 he became a reporter on the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City, Nevada, and in 1863 began signing his articles with the pseudonym “Mark Twain,” a Mississippi River phrase meaning two fathoms deep. In 1865 Twain reworked a tale he had heard in the California gold fields; within months the author and the story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” had become national sensations.

His other works include The Innocents Abroad (1869), Roughing It (1872) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), A Tramp Abroad (1880), The Prince and the Pauper (1882), Life on the Mississippi (1883) A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), Following the Equator (1897), Pudd’nhead Wilson (1894) and Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (1896), as well as the short stories “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg” (1899) and “The War Prayer” (1905).

One of America’s most important writers, Twain is justly renowned as a humorist, but his literary reputation also rests on his realistic use of dialects and the vernacular, especially of the Mississippi River Valley, in delineating characters and scenes of mid-19th-century American life. He was a celebrity during his later years, receiving an honorary doctorate from Oxford University in 1907. He died in New York City on April 21, 1910.

Big River, a 1985 musical by Roger Miller and William Hauptman based on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, received seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

David Birney is an award-winning actor/director, most recently honored with The Millennium Award for performance from the Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, D. C. His extensive stage credits include starring roles on Broadway as Salieri in Amadeus, David in Benefactors, and Jack Tanner in Man and Superman; as well as major roles at the American Shakespeare Festival, New York’s Lincoln Center Repertory Theatre, the New York Shakespeare Festival, Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum, Washington, D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre, and numerous regional theatres. Roles include Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo, Mercutio, Richard II, Richard III, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, Jaques in As You Like It, Prospero in The Tempest, Christy Mahon in The Playboy of the Western World, Cusins in Major Barbara, Jerry in The Zoo Story, Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, Arthur in Camelot, Higgins in My Fair Lady, Matt Friedman in Talley’s Folly, David in Social Security, Andrew in Love Letters, Dysart in Equus, Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, Jamie in Moon for the Misbegotten, Con Melody in A Touch of the Poet, and John Barrymore in I Hate Hamlet. On television, Mr. Birney has starred in six TV series: Live Shot, The Adams Chronicles, Glitter, St. Elsewhere, Serpico and Bridget Loves Bernie. Miniseries leading credits include leading roles in: Night of the Fox, Master of the Game, Testimony of Two Men, The Bible, and Valley of the Dolls. He has also starred in many television films, among them Love and Betrayal, Long Journey Home, The Five of Me, Ohms, The Deadly Game, High Midnight and The Champions. His list of guest starring roles on television and film credits spans a career of some thirty-five years. He has created and published two works for stage: Mark Twain’s The Diaries of Adam and Eve and A Christmas Pudding (two editions); all three titles have been published by Samuel French, Inc. The Diaries Adam and Eve was a presentation of the prestigious PBS series American Playhouse. Subsequently, Mr. Birney has directed and starred in productions that toured the country, playing on the east and west coasts, as well as regional theatres. He has produced and directed A Christmas Pudding, a collection of Christmas stories, songs, and poems, in Los Angeles each year for the past 18 years; it is now being produced and performed each season by a variety of theatres across the county. Mr. Birney has served on the Panels of the National Endowment for the Arts, on the Board of the Foundation for Bio-Medical Research. He is currently an Arts Panelist for the Jacob Javits Fellowship, and is a frequent spokesman for children’s health and welfare issues. His three children, daughter Kate, and twins Peter and Mollie, are, each of them, a treasure of his heart.

Alex Grubbs (He/him) is a multi-hyphenate theatre artist, composer, actor, musician, producer, teacher and writer. He moved to San Antonio from New York where he was a founding member of  “The Lobbyists” theatre collective and band, with performance and development opportunities at Naked Angels, Ensemble Studio Theatre, New York Stage and Film, Ars Nova, Page 73, The Flea Theatre, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, White Heron Theatre Company and many others. Nominated for 2016 Drama Desk Award for critically acclaimed production: Seawife. Alex is a founding member of Turnip Ensemble Theater in San Antonio, where he has been involved in leading devising new work including the 2025 production of The Wild Swans. He is a certified Moment Work teacher with Tectonic Theatre Company, and a lifetime member of Ensemble Studio Theatre, M.F.A in Acting from the University of Virginia.

Trevor began his entertainment career as an acrobat in the Edmonton Opera’s production of The Mikado in 1991. He parlayed that experience into an international performing career spanning 23 years and six countries with acclaimed companies including Dragone Entertainment and Cirque du Soleil. Trevor has recently returned from Macau where he was working as Company Manager for the remount of The House of Dancing Water, the world’s largest acrobatic show, and now works full-time as Company Manager with Ballet San Antonio.

Michael David “Burger” Song (he/him) has been active in the San Antonio theater community for over twenty years, and is excited to be a part of The Diaries of Adam and Eve here at the Tobin. Michael is an actor, playwright and teacher who has won 2 ATAC awards for his original plays, The Possession and Beneath The Surface, as well as an ATAC for his performance in Mourning Dove. He is also a co-producer, writer, and performer for the Strange Fantasy Show, a sci-fi horror anthology podcast a la the Twilight Zone or Black Mirror: Radio Play Edition. Memorable roles for Michael include Captain Cortez in Captain Cortez and the Tri-Lambda Brigade, Katurain in The Pillowman, Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Keith in Mourning Dove. Michael would like to thank all his friends and family for their continued support of his art. He would especially like to thank Amy Abrigo, the most amazing partner a man could ask for.

 Amy Abrigo (she/her) is a San Antonio naive who is delighted to be making her Tobin Center debut. An actor, singer, writer, and teaching artist, Amy loves telling stories that blend humor, heart, and a touch of the unexpected. Her favorite stage credits include Judy Turner (A Chorus Line), Junie B. Jones (Junie B. Jones: Toothless Wonder), and Bottom (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)—plus the unforgettable experience of performing alongside two sea lions and an otter.

As a playwright, her original work has been produced locally, and she is always developing new stories for the stage. When she’s not performing, Amy teaches theatre, offers Reiki sessions and Tarot card readings through Lionheart Reiki, and can usually be found writing, creating, or convincing people that theatre has the power to change lives. She is grateful to the cast, creative team, and audiences for sharing this journey. Especially to Michael, for sharing this stage and this life with her.