Oklahoma Chautauqua Planned at OSU-Tulsa

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

TULSA (May 26, 2009) – “Lincoln's Legacy of Equality: Voices on the Fringe” is the theme for the 2009 Oklahoma Chautauqua June 2-6 at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa. The 18th annual event is presented by the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa.

Performances will take place Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. under the tent. Appearing in costume, the scholars recount stories in the character's own words and in the language of their time. A question-and-answer session, with the scholar both in and out of character, will follow each performance.

Scholars performing in this year’s living history program will portray Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America; Frederick Douglass, one of the foremost leaders of the abolitionist movement; Harriet Tubman, a leader of the Underground Railroad; Walt Whitman, American poet; and John Ross, the first elected leader of the Cherokee Nation who led the Cherokee on The Trail of Tears.

Daily workshops will take place Tuesday through Saturday at Noon and 5:30 p.m. in OSU-Tulsa’s Conference Center, North Hall 150. Local musicians will provide entertainment Wednesday through Saturday at 6:30 p.m. prior to the evening performances.
 
All workshops and performances are free and open to the public and guests are encouraged to bring a picnic or purchase snacks and refreshments on site.

The first chautauqua was held in the 1870s at New York’s Lake Chautauqua, originally a camp for Sunday school teachers. In the early 20th century, chautauqua was a tent show traveling along a circuit in the Midwestern United States that presented a stage for contemporary culture, political oratory and discussion of modern social issues. The modern chautauqua movement began during the American bicentennial, as a tent revival for humanities and as an entertaining means to provoke discussion of American history.

Funding for the Tulsa Chautauqua is provided in part by a grant from the Oklahoma Humanities Council. Major support for this program is provided by the following: OSU-Tulsa, The Mervin Bovaird Foundation, the Cherokee Nation, the Downtown DoubleTree Hotel and Williams.