EVENT: Oklahoma Chautauqua at OSU-Tulsa
DATE: June 2-6
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.
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.
Performances will take place Tuesday through Saturday 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.
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.
OSU-Tulsa is located at 700 N.Greenwood Ave., near I-244 and Detroit Ave. For more information, contact the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa at 918-584-3333, extension 19, or visit their Web site at www.ahct.org.