About Erskine Caldwell
Erskine Caldwell (1903–1987) was an American author known for his writings about poverty, racism, and social problems in his native South. As one of the first authors to be published in mass-market paperback editions, he is a key figure in the history of American publishing. Three of his books were made into movies, and the stage adaption of Tobacco Road made American theater history when it ran for seven-and-a-half years on Broadway.
About Mark Hammer
Mark Hammer has
had long and distinguished career in the theater. After earning an
undergraduate degree from Stanford University, he completed an MFA degree at
Catholic University. For twenty-three years after that, he served on the drama
faculty at that university and as co-chairman of its MFA acting program. For
the last sixteen of those years, he was also a member of the resident acting
company at Washington, DC’s Arena Stage. There, he had significant roles in
both classic and contemporary dramas. He was twice nominated for the Helen
Hayes Award for his performances in Cloud
Nine and The Wild Duck. He has
also appeared in several Broadway plays. Hammer was proud to be chosen to narrate
the opening film of the permanent exhibit for the National Holocaust Museum.