Wyatt Earp returns to Sharlot Hall for “An Encounter with Edward Curtis.” Famed western photographer Edward S. Curtis, as portrayed by Earp, will take the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 25, in the auditorium of the Sharlot Hall Museum’s Fred W. Veil Education Center, 415 W. Gurley St., Prescott.

In this one-man performance, an elderly Curtis reflects on his adventures, tragedies and triumphs in his 30-year journey to create his masterpiece, The North American Indian. Earp, the great-nephew of the historic Wyatt Earp, spoke with Across the Street ahead of the upcoming performance. The following interview was edited for length and clarity.

What do you want people to know about Edward Curtis?

How his life and his photography literally changed American history. He did Teddy Roosevelt, he did Geronimo, and he basically was the photographer for some of the most famous historical characters in that era of our time. JP Morgan financed Edgar Curtis in 1907 with a grant of $70,000. Can you imagine $70,000 in 1907?

How did this show come about?

It came about when the Spirit of the West Museum down in Scottsdale contacted me three years ago and asked me to write a bio-drama on him because the Curtis photography was going to be run through April of this year over there in two wings, and people have been coming and touring the museum and seeing his work. They had me write a bio-drama on him, which I performed there for a good three months to sold-out audiences. Then, I was called back to do another performance about two months ago over there at the museum, because a lot of the Curtis family were coming into town and I did a return show of him there at that time.

What can people expect from this performance?

At the beginning of the show, I say, “Have you ever heard of a stereopticon camera lens? My father brought one home from the Civil War and as a boy with some parts ingenuity, I built my first camera around that lens.”

He photographed during his adult life, 82 Indian tribes from the Southwest all the way to Alaska. His photography is famous the world over. He did the famous photograph of Roosevelt that’s everywhere. He lived until 1953 and with all that travel and all that photography and all those places and people, there was naturally a lot of adventure in his life. I’ll be taking him from his youth, when they went from Minnesota over to the Pacific Northwest and homesteaded on a beautiful little area of the Olympic Peninsula, later to be called Washington State. Back in those days, it was the Washington territory. We’ll take him from there all the way to the time when he retires.

Tickets are $25 for regular admission and $20 for members. Purchase tickets in person at Sharlot Hall Museum, or by phone, at 928-277-2000. For more information about Wyatt Earp, visit www.wyattearp.biz.