As of February 5, 2019, we are accepting applications for the role of George Griffin, Twain’s butler.

The Mark Twain House & Museum is seeking a male African-American actor to play the role of George Griffin, Twain’s butler, as part of the Living History Tours at the historic home.

Griffin worked for the Clemens family for 17 years. He was a deacon in the Methodist Episcopal Church, active in politics, a leader in the African American community, and a husband and father. He may have been Twain’s inspiration for the character of Jim in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Two years of acting experience is required. Living History tour guide jobs are part-time positions.

Living History Tour Guide

Department: Visitor Services

Status: Part-time (Not to exceed 29 hours per week)

Hours: Variable (May include weekend and holiday hours)

Salary: $14.50/hour (after training @ 10.10 per hour)

Previous acting experience preferred.

For more information, contact Tom Raines, Manager of Living History Tours, at Tom.Raines@marktwainhouse.org or call 860-280-3156.

The Living History Program at the Mark Twain House provide interactive visitor experiences for a variety of audiences: adults, adults with children, visitors of many different nationalities. Living History Tour Guides provide a unique visitor experience, interpreting the house as 19^th century characters that knew and interacted with Mark Twain. The goal of this program is to provide consistent and exemplary visitor experiences that are educational, enjoyable, and able to motivate people to want to learn more.

Duties/Responsibilities:

– Learn an hour-long script (provided by the Mark Twain House) for a specific historic character, usually a member of Mark Twain’s family or servant staff.  Living History Tour Guides should be able to learn and perform the script in full, but should also be open to improvisation and answering visitor questions on tours.

– Learn additional information about Mark Twain, his family, Hartford and the house, as needed.

– Lead visitors on tours in the Mark Twain House as a costumed character, as part of the Museum’s daily tour schedule.

– Be open to participating in educational and other specialty programs, including press events, rental programs, outreach and theater offerings.

Knowledge & Skills Required:

– Effective acting and communication skills.

– Ability to work with people of varying ages, skills and capabilities.

– General understanding of museum operations and procedures and customer / visitor service concepts.

– Ability to work effectively with other employees, visitors and volunteers.

– Ability to solve problems and make decisions under pressure.

Work Environment:

Direct contact with the public during periods of heavy visitation.

Benefits:

Free admission or discount for many programs.  20% discount in Museum Store.

Disclaimer:

This description indicates the general aspects of the position and is not intended to be a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of this position. Management may add to or modify the duties of this position or designate other functions as essential at any point in time.