Mark & Sara perform again

Joyce Johnson's BJ story headlined

Animal tales come to life at Books for Africa

didn't mention the performers' names but one was Sara Showman, wife of former BJ and current PD TV critic Mark Dawidziak, who did the 3 humorous sketches centered on animals. For his part, Mark did his umpteenth performance as American humorist Mark Twain. As Mark tells it he has to apply less whitening powder to his hair with every passing year. I've seen Hal Holbrook do Mark Twain and I think our Mark does it better. And not just because I was his TV Editor when Mark was writing for the Beacon. Mark and Sara are co-founders of the Largely Literary Theater Company that performs Dickens, Poe and Twain shows in Northeast Ohio.

Mark, along with his fellow PD colleagues, agreed to an 8% pay cut in return for no job losses before June 2010. Plus 11 days off without pay that will bring the total income loss to 12% for the year.

Among those in attendance at St. Bernard's church was Debbie Van Tassel, like husband Stuart Warner among those who left the BJ for the PD in past years. $3,000 was raised for Books for Africa at the event.

Click on the headline on this post to read the BJ story that doesn't mention the names of the performers in the show that's in the BJ headline.