Ohio Chautauqua 2010: The 1930s

With their own personalities thoroughly masked behind those of the persons they portray, Ohio Chautauqua scholars contribute a wealth of research and study to the program. With the help of our scholars, Ohio Chautauqua audiences grow to better understand and appreciate our unique cultural heritage.

Host communities will present one youth and one adult daytime workshop by each Ohio Chautauqua scholar. Hosts schedule these ten programs throughout the five days that Ohio Chautauqua is in the community. Please remember that 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 are intended for audiences age 8 and above.

If you have any questions about these programs, please call Fran at 800-293-9774.

OHIO CHAUTAUQUA 2010

SCHOLAR BIOS & WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

HANK FINCKEN

For more than twenty years, Hank Fincken has toured the US performing his original one-man plays in schools, parks, libraries, festivals, and universities across the country. His characters include Thomas Edison, Johnny Appleseed, Francisco Pizarro, Christopher Columbus, Henry Ford, and an 1849er on The California Trail named J. G. Bruff. This summer he will debut his newest character: W.C. Fields.

This will be Hank’s ninth tour with Ohio Chautauqua.  He has recently performed in other Chautauquas in Oklahoma, South Carolina, Missouri, Illinois, and Colorado.  “Each state does it differently, but in one aspect all are the same: the audiences are always so eager to learn that it makes each performance a treat.”

A prolific writer, he has authored scores of plays, stories, and essays as well as one book: Three Midwest History Plays and Then Some. Recent highlights include performing as Johnny Appleseed near the home in which he was born in Massachusetts; acting as Edison in a Hollywood film for United States Patent Office; winning the national Pinnacle Award for outstanding video conferencing programs; arguing the New York state’s case as Prosecutor Richard Crowley against Susan B. Anthony in her birth town of Adams, New Hampshire; performing for the descendents of Hank’s forty-niner character at their international family reunion in Washington D.C., and working with the Fields grandchildren in preparing this summer’s program.

Hank has special permission to recreate the image and likeness of W.C. Fields, granted by W.C. Fields Productions.

YOUTH WORKSHOP:

Vaudeville Tonight

Hank will discuss the history of vaudeville and how it worked. Script in hand, Hank will then perform an old vaudeville routine with an adult volunteer from the audience. The kids will talk about what makes it funny or not so funny. Every vaudeville theatre presented at least one comic one-scene play each night. Hank has written just such a play, and the workshop participants will read and stage this ten minute scene. We will emphasize timing and working as a cast. Those who wish to participate should be able to read a simple script.

ADULT WORKSHOP:

Make ‘Em Laugh: The Comedy of W.C. Fields

The program begins with a discussion of how and why comic films flourished in the 1920s (“the Golden Age of Comedy”) and then struggled when silent movies became “talkies” in the early 1930s. Hank will show a few clips from Fields’ films, briefly discussing the history of each scene as well as what made it funny then and what makes it funny – or not – today. Hank is counting on the participants to join in the discussion and share their thoughts on Fields’ humor. As the Great One himself said, “I know what makes people laugh, but trying to get your hands on the why of it is like trying to pick an eel out of a tub of water.”

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Censorship Then and Now

There always seems to be a good reason to censor new art…and sometimes even old art. In this program, Hank explores the factors that led to the brutal censorship of the 1930s and compares that time to the censorship of today. Hank will also share some of his own personal experiences and lead a discussion on why, where, and when censorship might be needed during our tumultuous times.

DEBRA CONNER

With nothing other than the irrational idea that she could do it, Debra Conner began portraying Emily Dickinson in 1997, thanks to a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Since then, she has added in-character portrayals of Zelda Fitzgerald, Margaret Mitchell, Margaret Blennerhassett and Rebecca Harding Davis to her program offerings. “It’s my best chance to be a famous writer,” she claims.

She has performed for Humanities Councils in many states, including Maryland, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Ohio and Virginia. She has appeared at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Forbes Gallery in New York City and at the Lewis and Clark Commemorative Celebration in Charlottesville, Virginia. In 2009, she portrayed Margaret Mitchell at the Margaret Mitchell/Gone with the Wind Museum in Atlanta.

As a writer, Debra also conducts workshops and residencies in creative writing. She is part of the Ohio Arts Council’s arts in education program, and she has published essays and poetry in a variety of publications.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Virginia and a MFA in creative writing from Warren Wilson College.

She and her husband Glenn, who works in commercial photography, make their home in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Their extended family includes three dogs, three cats and a horse.

YOUTH WORKSHOP:

Photographic Images of the Great Depression

The old saying “Every picture tells a story” was never more true than during the Great Depression.  In this workshop, we’ll look at famous photographs from the Depression era and learn about the photographers and the government program that sponsored their work.  Then, we’ll put our imaginations to work and invent stories to go with the photographs.

ADULT WORKSHOP:

Movie Madness

When David O. Selznick purchased the movie rights to Gone with the Wind, he was warned that he’d made a grave mistake. Many people said that a movie version of Mitchell’s hefty and wildly popular novel could never be made successfully. In this workshop, we’ll look at clips from the movie in order to appreciate the differences between Mitchell’s novel and Hollywood’s treatment of it. We’ll also look at all that went into making this monumental film.

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Excavating the Past: Stories of Family and Place

Margaret Mitchell was a born storyteller, and Gone with the Wind contains stories that she collected from many sources, including her own family. This is a writing workshop designed to uncover our own stories of family and place. Besides writing, we will talk about what makes an enduring and memorable story.

MARVIN JEFFERSON

Marvin Jefferson has an extensive background as a professional actor and living history performer. Since 1997, Jefferson has worked for the Newark (New Jersey) Board of Education to present Paul Robeson throughout the entire public school system in Newark with performances designed especially for fourth, seventh, and twelfth grade levels. From 2005 through 2007, he appeared as Robeson in the Colorado, Maryland, and Greenville, South Carolina and Asheville, North Carolina Chautauquas. In addition to his extensive experience portraying Paul Robeson, Jefferson has also performed as Martin Luther King Jr. for chautauqua programs.

Jefferson co-founded and served as the Producer and Artistic Director of Ensemble Theatre Company, one of Newark’s only professional (Actor’s Equity) theatres. He has taught at Essex County College, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and the Newark School of Arts, and currently teaches acting at Bloomfield College. He studied acting at the Mason Gross School of Arts at Rutgers University.

Although he has worked in many venues across the nation, this is his first visit to Ohio. Jefferson is excited about introducing Paul Robeson to Ohio Chautauqua audiences across the state.

YOUTH WORKSHOP:

“Grow to Be the Greatest…”

Paul Robeson’s record as a scholar-athlete is one of the most extraordinary achievements of any one person in American history. That he was able to accomplish these things during one of the most repressive periods for African Americans makes his story all the more inspiring. This workshop will focus on the forces that helped to shape this multi-talented man.

ADULT WORKSHOP:

Paul Robeson: “Here I Stand”

Paul Robeson’s political activism remains controversial to this day. The debate as to whether or not the artist has the right to voice his or her political views has become a major issue in recent years, and no leading figure in American history was more persecuted for speaking his views than Paul Robeson. This workshop will help illuminate the reasons why Paul risked everything to speak his mind.

SUSAN MARIE FRONTCZAK

For sixteen years, Susan Marie Frontczak has worked as a full time storyteller and living history presenter: bringing history and literature to life, creating stories from thin air, or honing her own personal experience into tales worth telling again and again. In her nine years as a chautauquan, Susan Marie has given over 300 presentations as Marie Curie, Mary Shelley, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Irene Castle across 24 of the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Susan Marie has also been instrumental in developing the Young Chautauqua program at Colorado Humanities. In this program, youth in grades four through twelve research a character out of history, and then write, rehearse and present a first-person monologue, as well as answer questions in-character.

Because Mrs. Roosevelt’s life influenced the 20^th century over so many decades, Susan Marie has developed three different perspectives on her life, set in successive decades and at different ages, respectively, during the Great Depression, during World War II, and at the United Nations. She is honored to bring the first lady’s view of the 1930s to Ohio Chautauqua.

YOUTH WORKSHOP:

A Storyteller’s Tour of the 1930s

Whether you grew up in the 1930s or much later, chances are you’ve read stories that first came into print then. In addition to full length classics, such as The Hobbit, The Sword in the Stone, Little House in the Big Woods, and the first Nancy Drew mystery, The Secret of the Old Clock, the 1930s gave us numerous short tales like Watty Piper’s “The Little Engine that Could” and Dr. Seuss’s “To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.” Travel to the land of your imagination – and hear just a little about how these stories reflect the times from which they came. Join experienced storyteller Susan Marie Frontczak as she leads us through adventures such as The Country Bunny and the Golden Shoes, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and The Story about Ping.

ADULT WORKSHOP:

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Friendships

The First Lady made friendships across social, racial, class, religious, age, and gender boundaries far beyond the norm for her day. Who were these people? And how did they shape Mrs. Roosevelt’s life and influence, as well as the American Identity at large, throughout the Great Depression? Some of those who became Eleanor’s friends include Mary Harriman, Mary McLeod Bethune, Lorena Hickok, Marion Dickerman, Frances Perkins, and others.

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Dear Mr. President – A humorous look at letters and packages sent to the White House throughout the Roosevelt administration. Suitable for family audiences.

Both F.D.R. and his wife Eleanor solicited opinions from the citizens of the United States. The public responded as never before. Requests, complaints, advice, praise, gifts of art or food, and the nearly overwhelming March of Dimes each took their turn in the spotlight. From the typical to the outrageous, hear what it was like in the mail room at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue during the 1930s.

MICHAEL HUGHES

Dr. Michael Hughes is a member of the art and history departments and American Indian Studies program of East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. He teaches courses in art history, U.S. history, and in Chickasaw and other Indian cultures. His own tribal ancestry is Cherokee. Michael’s wife, Dr. Eril Hughes, is a professor of English and a regional leader in Habitat for Humanity.

Hughes has given more than 125 historical and dramatic presentations funded by state humanities councils, state historical societies, and the Library of Congress. He also delivered the Civil War 125th anniversary address at the Ohio Historical Center. His previous chautauqua characters in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas have been Alexander Graham Bell, Jim Bridger, Michelangelo Buonarotti, William Lloyd Garrison, Judge Isaac C. Parker, Ernie Pyle, Chief John Ross, Marshal Bill Tilghman, Orson Welles, and Bob Wills. He performed for two years in the Ashland Chautauqua. Michael was part of the troupe in Ohio Chautauqua 2006: War & Peace and toured as Alexander Graham Bell in 2008 and 2009 for Inventors & Innovators.

YOUTH WORKSHOP:

Kidstuff in the 1930s

What kept children entertained in the hard times of the 1930s, the era of the Great Depression?  Find out as we experience some original toy advertisements, games, cartoons, comic books, and children’s films and radio shows of the 1930s.

ADULT WORKSHOP:

Two Beams or Not Two Beams

This workshop is a tribute to the “Golden Age of American Radio.”  Participants will provide voices and sound effects for a comic version of a 1930s style radio broadcast.  Be warned that in this broadcast – in which Martians invade modern Ohio – the works of Orson Welles, H.G. Wells, and William Shakespeare are likely to become confused!  In the event that there are not enough readers present, the workshop will instead cover excerpts from and descriptions of popular radio shows of the 1930s.