2012 Ohio Chautauqua
The City of Marietta, along with Marietta College, are proud to have been chosen as one of five sites in Ohio to host the 2012 Ohio Chautauqua, which is sponsored and presented by the Ohio Humanities Council.
The five-day event will run from June 19-23 under a big tent on Marietta College's Great Lawn on the corner of Fourth and Putnam streets.
The Ohio Chautauqua will be the signature event and kick off the City of Marietta's 225th Celebration, which will mark the anniversary of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and the founding at Campus Martius fort. The fort was the home of the organized government that became the capital of the Northwest Territory making Marietta the first organized permanent settlement.
Ohio Chautauqua is a travelling tent show with a unique mixture of education and entertainment and this year will focus on the time "When Ohio Was The Western Frontier," presenting history in the compelling form of first person historical characterizations. In these programs, attendees can explore the lives and legacies of those who encountered Ohio in its infancy and helped shape the state into what it is today.
Marietta will host five humanities scholars-in-residence for the event. The trained scholars will assume the costume and character of a historical figure, presenting an exciting and engaging living history performance each evening under the tent. There will also be two daytime workshops, one for youth and one for adults, each day in venues throughout the community.
For the evening, under-the-tent shows will begin with musical entertainment at 6:45pm until 7:15pm with the main evening performance at 7:30pm by appropriately costumed scholars portraying these historic characters:
- Margaret Blennerhassett, Frontier Aristocrat
- York, Lewis and Clark Expedition Member
- Oliver Hazard Perry, Hero of the Battle of Lake Erie
- Chief Logan, Iroquois Leader
- Johnny Appleseed, Naturalist and Folk Hero
Host communities will have one youth and one adult daytime workshop by each OHIO CHAUTAUQUA scholar. These activities are workshops presented by the scholars; they are not in-character living history performances.
Unless otherwise indicated in the program descriptions, youth programs should be scheduled for ages 8 and above.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Youth Workshop: June 19th at 10:30am Campus Martius Museum
Becoming Johnny
I first met Johnny Appleseed in a cartoon. He was energetic, sincere, and big-hearted, but seemed less than human. My job as an actor is to make him flesh and blood. In this workshop, Hank will ask students to share their beliefs about John Chapman and discuss how we separate fact from fiction. We conclude by playing theatre games that reveal how gestures and mannerisms bring historical characters to life. Don't be surprised if we discover that a little of John Chapman resides in all of us.
Adult Workshop: June 19th at 2:00pm Campus Martius Museum
History in a Nutshell: The American Indian Perspective
Making connections between the past and the present helps make history come alive. In this program, the scholar will travel through time and highlight important aspects of American history, with a special focus on the Ohio frontier. During this fast-paced history lesson, the scholar will explain how, no matter what the time or event, American Indians played an important role.
Music: 6:45pm to 7:15pm
Evening Performance: Margaret Blennerhassett 7:30pm
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Youth Workshop: June 20th at 10:30am O'Neill Center
Adopted by Indians
Frontier families were terrified that their children might be kidnapped by Indians. When loved ones were killed by the White Man's disease and war, the Indians felt justified in adopting replacements. In this program, the scholar shares information about Indian culture and family traditions, and explains why many of the adoptees were so happy in their new lives. Then the participants will play some of the games that helped Indian children learn skills that were needed to do the work of men and women. The games are as fun today as they were back then, so come ready to learn and play!
Adult Workshop: June 20th at 2:00pm O'Neill Center
John & Johnny: Past, Present, and Future
Contemporaries described John Chapman/Johnny Appleseed as strange. One even called him "the oddest character in our history." After he died, people began to see something special, even saintly, in this independent bachelor who wandered the countryside selling apple seedlings and preaching "good news right fresh from heaven." Walt Disney reduced him to a well-meaning, simple-minded children's cartoon. But the story isn't over: John's image continues to evolve, and the transition is still in flux. Using examples from his own 20-year career portraying John and stories both old and new, the scholar will discuss what we know and don't know about this pioneer, the magic that makes him so dear to so many, and how and why the next change will make him equally relevant to future generations.
Music: 6:45pm to 7:15pm
Evening Performance: York 7:30pm
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Evening Performance: Oliver Hazard Perry
Youth Workshop: June 21st at 10:30am Betsey Mills Club
Telling a Tall Tale
Tall tales are a uniquely American art form. Using a few theatre games to open everyone's imagination, the scholar will take participants on an imaginary adventure, creating tales taller than mountains – much like York is purported to have done in his time. In our tall tales, the sky's the limit!
Adult Workshop: June 21st at 2:00pm Betsey Mills Club
Women on America's Western Frontier
"Women are the forgotten men of history," claimed the historian Daniel Boorstein. In this workshop, we'll learn about the lifestyles and the habits of the women who settled the western frontier in the early 1800s. Did you know that women smoked cigars? That dinner guests wiped their noses on the tablecloth? Or that women took arsenic to increase their pallor?
Music: 6:45pm to 7:15pm
Evening Performance: Oliver Hazard Perry 7:30pm
Friday, June 22, 2012
Youth Workshop: June 22nd at 10:30am Valley Gem Party Barge
Inspired by Margaret Blennerhassett
Margaret Blennerhassett was known throughout the Ohio Valley for her creativity. She had a special appreciation for art, music, and poetry. Inspired by Margaret's love of nature, participants begin by examining some fantastic nature-based art and then create their own imaginative drawings. Finally, we will do some creative writing to accompany our artwork.
Adult Workshop: June 22nd at 2:00pm Valley Gem Party Barge
Three Perspectives on the Battle of Lake Erie
"We have met the enemy and they are ours..." The victorious words of Oliver Hazard Perry are still remembered nearly 200 years after the Battle of Lake Erie. Perry's preparations of his Lake Erie squadron during the summer of 1813 make for intriguing history. But the preparations of his adversary, Commander Robert Barclay of the British fleet, are equally fascinating to look back upon. In this workshop, the scholar discusses how each side prepared and strategized for the Battle of Lake Erie, as well as how Perry's second-in-command, Lt. Jesse Duncan Elliott, would for years argue a very different version of what occurred in the Battle of Lake Erie.
Music: 6:45pm to 7:15pm
Evening Performance: Chief Logan 7:30pm
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Youth Workshop: June 23rd at 10:30am Ohio River Museum
A Star Spangled Banner
In September of 1814, Washington had been burned to the ground and British ships were sailing off to Baltimore. What stood in their way was a naval base called Fort McHenry. When Mary Pickersgill was asked to construct a flag to fly above the fort, the demands were large. The flag was to measure 34 feet by 40 feet. In the morning after the attack on Fort McHenry, a young lawyer named Francis Scott Key saw Pickersgill's flag flying valiantly over Fort McHenry. It was the inspiration for a poem he wrote called "Defense of Fort McHenry" and is now our national anthem. In this workshop, Jeremy will lead the kids in a discussion about the history of the American flag and the writing of Key's poem during the attack on Fort McHenry in the War of 1812.
Adult Workshop: June 23rd at 2:00pm Ohio River Museum
York, William Clark, Slavery and American History
This lecture and discussion program will examine the relationship between York and William Clark. Participants will also explore how slavery impacted their relationship, and how slavery's legacy denied York his proper place in history for many years.
Music: 6:45pm to 7:15pm
Evening Performance: Johnny Appleseed 7:30pm
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