Nevada Humanities Chautauqua 2008
What’s New for 2008
• New dates (It’s in June now!): June 22 - 26, 2008, Sunday through Thursday, with musical introductions, 6-6:45 p.m. and Chautauqua performances beginning at 7 p.m. each evening
• New location: Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater at Bartley Ranch Regional Park in Reno
• New name: Nevada Humanities Chautauqua (formerly Great Basin Chautauqua)
Chautauqua Theme
The theme for the 2008 Nevada Humanities Chautauqua is Lincoln and the Civil War. The sixteenth president will come alive through his own words and the stories of those who knew him best. Historical characters will include Mary Todd Lincoln, Lincoln’s private secretary and friend John Hay, abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and General Ulysses S. Grant, and others.
2009 will mark the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth,” artistic director Clay Jenkinson said. “We believe this is a good opportunity to reevaluate the Lincoln legacy. Lincoln, arguably our greatest president, is universally loved and admired, but little understood. He was indeed a great man, but as our first martyred president, the Great Emancipator, and the Savior of the Republic, his status as national icon has usually overwhelmed his humanity and inner conflicts.”
The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission has endorsed the 2008 Nevada Humanities Chautauqua.
Evening Performance schedule
Sunday, June 22: An evening of Young Chautauqua: Battle Born—1840 – 1900, Civil War, Statehood, Westward Expansion. Free event.
Music: Biggest Little Bluegrass Band
Monday, June 23: Frederick Douglass (Charles Pace); Young Chautauqua performance Anna Ella Carroll (Nicole Piechocki)
Music: TBA
Tuesday, June 24: Mary Todd Lincoln (Selene Phillips) & Jefferson Davis (Doug Mishler)
Music: Chris and Danita Bayer—Light and Airy, Celtic tunes on fiddle and whistle
Wednesday, June 25: Senator William Stewart (Robert Nylen) & Ulysses S. Grant (Frank Mullen)
Music: TBA
Thursday, June 26: John Hay, (Clay Jenkinson); Young Chautauqua performance Jesse Benton Fremont (Rose Hodges)
Music: Shiloh
Tickets
General admission seating—$15. Seating is available, first come first served, on fixed seats or on the grass. If you prefer seating on the grass, low-backed lawn chairs or blankets only.
Reserved seating— Seating is also available in a reserved section for $30. This permits guests to arrive late and still have a great seat.
Purchase Tickets—General admission tickets may be purchased at the gate starting at 5 p.m. or online at nevadahumanities.org; reserved tickets are only available online. Online ticket sales begin May 1.
Recommended Reading
To prepare for Chautauqua, consider reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.
Young Chautauqua performances
The Young Chautauqua theme for 2008 is Battle Born: Civil War, Statehood, Westward Expansion, 1840-1900, with performances on Sunday evening, June 22, 2008, and each morning, Monday through Thursday, June 23 -26. All Young Chautauqua performances are free and open to the public. Young Chautauquans ages 8 - 18 spend months researching and preparing their characters. This is a wonderful opportunity for audiences to see the accomplishments of young scholars in our community.
Refreshments
Food and drinks will be available for purchase by Men Wielding Fire an outstanding local caterer. They will also have alcoholic beverages for sale. Picnics and drinks, including wine and other alcoholic beverages, are permitted in the Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater, however no glass is allowed; all liquids must be transferred into unbreakable containers.
Chautauqua Community Events (All community events are free and open to the public)
• Coffee With the Chautauquans
Tuesday – Friday, June 24 – 27, 7:30 – 9 a.m., Sundance Bookstore, 1155 West 4th Street, Reno. These coffees offer audience members an opportunity to continue the discussion begun at the amphitheater the evening before.
• Young Chautauqua Performances
Monday – Thursday, June 23 – 26, 9:00 a.m. – noon, Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater at Bartley Ranch Regional Park, Reno. These events combine Young Chautauqua performances and hands-on craft activities for children.
Theme: Battle Born—1840 – 1900, Civil War, Statehood, Westward Expansion.
• Chautauqua Films in the Library
Tuesday, June 24, 1 p.m.
South Valleys Library, 15650A Wedge Parkway, Reno
The Red Badge of Courage (1951): Moderator: Frank Mullen (General Grant)
Wednesday, June 25, 1 p.m.
Sparks Library, 1125 12th Street, Sparks,
Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) Moderator: Selene Phillips (Mary Todd Lincoln)
Thursday, June 26, 1 p.m.
Northwest Reno Library, 2325 Robb Drive, Reno
Glory (1989) Moderator: Charles Pace (Frederick Douglass)
• Chautauqua Community Discussions
Tuesday, June 24, 1 p.m.
Truckee Meadows Community College, Sierra Building, Room 108
Lincoln and the West, Clay Jenkinson interviews historian Richard Etulain.
Wednesday, June 25, 1 p.m.
Truckee Meadows Community College, Sierra Building, Room 108
Panel discussion: Lincoln and Politics: learning from a consummate professional, moderator, Clay Jenkinson.
Thursday, June 26, 2008, 1 p.m.
Truckee Meadows Community College, Sierra Building, Room 108
Panel discussion: The American Soldier: From the Civil War to Iraq, moderator, Clay Jenkinson.
Chautauqua African American History Exhibits
Nevada Humanities, in partnership with the new Bethel Cultural Center, will present two exhibits on African American history. The first exhibit, entitled Frederick Douglass from Slavery to Freedom: the Journey to New York City, traces the great abolitionist’s life under slavery and his daring journey to freedom based upon selected excerpts from Douglass’ autobiography. The second exhibit, Black Nevadans, covers African American history in Nevada from early settlement through the twenty-first century. The Bethel Cultural Center is located at 220 Bell St. in Reno. For more information: 355-9030 or 848-0578.
Special Thanks to the Robert Z. Hawkins Foundation, Sierra Pacific Resources Foundation, and Washoe County Parks.
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