ASHLAND — Harriet Tubman’s life and work will be center stage on Tuesday, July 19, opening night of the 2016 Ashland Chautauqua. Tubman, the renowned guide of slaves fleeing their bondage, is the first of five historical figures who will be presented on successive evenings by Chautauqua scholars.
“Voices of Freedom” is the theme for Ashland’s 17th Chautauqua season. Chautauqua scholar Ilene Evans portrays Miss Tubman on opening night. On Wednesday, scholar Judith Black portrays Lucy Stone, who fought for abolition and for women’s equality. On Thursday, scholar Dianne Moran, who at earlier Chautauquas presented characters such as Rachel Carson and Miep Gies, will this year portray Mary Chesnut, a Southern woman who kept a revealing and thoughtful diary during the Civil War. On Friday, the famed abolitionist and orator, Frederick Douglass, will be portrayed by scholar Charles Pace. The closing performance on Saturday will be Susan B. Anthony, famous for her outspoken leadership for women’s suffrage, portrayed by scholar Annette Baldwin.
Each scholar assumes the costume and the character of the person he or she portrays and thus gives a vivid first-person account of the person’s life and views on important issues. Scholars spend months and sometimes years learning all they can about the characters they portray. On the night of the performance they must be able to accurately answer questions posed to that character by audience members.
Each evening, at the end of the character’s monologue, the character will answer questions from the audience followed by an audience Q&A with the scholar who did the portrayal. Thus the audience learns directly from the historic figure and then gets the perspective of someone who has studied that historic figure very thoroughly.
Ashland Chautauqua’s Companion Reader carries biographies and timelines for each of the characters and short bios of the scholars, as well the schedule for opening acts and daytime workshops, which are also part of the five-day Chautauqua event. The Reader will also be available to audience members on-line and in paper form opening night.
An opening act begins at 7 p.m. each evening at the Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell in Ashland’s Brookside Park. Introduction of the Chautauqua scholar’s portrayal of an historical figure begins at 8 p.m. In case of bad weather, the venue moves to Ashland University’s Hugo Young Theater (where bringing long sleeves is recommended).
The opening act on Tuesday will be Austin Walkin’ Cane with his Delta blues and slide guitar, an entertainment favorite at previous performances in Ashland. According to the New Yorker, he “arrives bearing not only a cool blues calling card but a commanding voice and fiery Delta chops.”
Ashland Chautauqua’s enticing mixture of education and entertainment extends to its daytime workshops. Tuesday workshops include an adult workshop by scholar Judith Black entitled The Women’s Movement: In Our lives, Before and Beyond, a youth workshop by scholar Dianne Moran entitled Who Were They? and an adult workshop by scholar Charles Pace entitled “Frederick Douglass: Manhood and Black Soldiers in the Civil War.”
Local businesses have provided prizes for nightly drawings from completed audience surveys. Generous donations of gift cards and products make it worthwhile for audience members to complete the evaluation form and enter the drawing each evening.
Ashland Chautauqua is made possible with major underwriting and statewide promotional support from the Ohio Humanities Council, Ohio Arts Council, City of Ashland’s Parks & Recreation Department, and Ashland Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Ashland Main Street joins the Chautauqua team this year as fiscal agent. Additional support from local individuals, businesses and organizations strengthen and guarantee an on-going annual event for the community.
