Chautauqua

Chautauqua 2008

Civil Rights: Taking A Stand

Martin Luther King
George Wallace
Rosa Parks
Malcolm X

Prior Performances of Chautauqua?

2007: Food for Thought

Upton Sinclair
Julia Child
Cesar Chavez
George Washington Carver

2006: Creativity and Imagination

Henry Ford
Leonardo da Vinci
Coco Chanel
Paul Robeson

2005: War and Democracy- Personal Journeys

Margaret Bourke-White
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.
George Orwell
President Abraham Lincoln

What is a Chautauqua?

Each year in July, the Maryland Humanities Council presents free Chautauquas, where scholar/actors and the local community come together in a tent under the stars to watch a presentation from America's past and to talk about the characters and ideas of the times being portrayed. Five community colleges dotted across the face of Maryland serve as the sites for these programs.

Chautauqua is a uniquely American tradition. The Chautauqua movement began in the Lake Chautauqua area of New York in 1874 as a training course for Sunday school teachers. In 1878 the concept extended its philosophy of adult education to include an appreciation for the arts and humanities through the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle. Study courses in history, art, literature, foreign languages, the classics, and music history reached nearly 80,000 Americans in the program's first decade.

About 1904, independent Chautauquas went on the road as part of the Lyceum movement. Lyceums brought lecturers and entertainers to small town America, especially in the summer when travel was easier. Chautauqua producers offered a variety of arrangements, from seven days of programs for the larger, wealthier towns to two and three night stands which small towns could afford. Even the tiniest villages could look forward to an annual visit by a dusty Chautauqua tent with shows priced so that most could afford to join in the fun.

In its early years, traveling Chautauquas offered lectures by Biblical historians, political theorists, foreign language scholars, as well as dozens of programs to help improve skills and sharpen minds. Savvy congressmen, judges, even presidents, traveled the circuit talking about women's suffrage, the plight of the poor in the slums of the cities, and the need for patriotism, especially during World War I.

Chautauquan William Jennings Bryan gave one speech, "The Prince of Peace," more than 3,000 times on the Chautauqua trail. Bryan used the stage to keep the American public aware of his political views, as he ran unsuccessfully for president three times. He was successful in his prosecution of Tennessee school teacher John Scopes for teaching evolution. His opponent in that trail, Clarence Darrow, the famous lawyer, also traveled the Chautauqua circuits.

During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson called Chautauqua a major contributor to the war effort. At that time, Chautauqua brought military bands, wounded soldiers to tell their stories, and singers of patriotic songs. But the years following the war, the Roaring Twenties, were a time of fun, frolic, and far less concern about self-improvement and inspirational guidance. The Chautauqua movement faded almost as suddenly as it appeared as America's economy declined by the 1930s; and more people had access to other entertainment such as radio and movies.

In 1976, the Chautauqua was reborn as a humanities program in which scholar/actors assume the costume and character of historical figures. As a humanities program, the first-person historical characterization attempts to meet three criteria. First, the scholar/actor presents a monologue based on the biography, the ideas, and the writings of his/her character, with emphasis on history and intellectual exploration. The Chautauquan takes audience questions in character using the ideas and, if possible, the actual language of the historical character. At the end of the program the scholar comes out of character to provide historical context and to exchange ideas with the audience.

In Maryland, the Chautauqua tradition dates to when Chautauquas took place in 1891 at Glen Echo Park in Montgomery County and at the turn of the century at Mountain Lake Park in Garrett County. The Maryland Humanities Council recreated this tradition in 1995 at Garrett Community College. In 1999, this growing partnership with the community colleges expanded to include Montgomery College-Germantown. In 2000, two additional partnerships with the College of Southern Maryland and Chesapeake College provided a total of four locations. And, in 2001, the partnership with Cecil Community College extended the Chautauqua to its current size.

Each year, the Council dedicates one issue of its widely-circulated magazine to serve as a reader for the Chautauqua. For each character, there is a short biography, time line of important events in his or her life, and suggestions for further reading. Each year the theme and characters for the Chautauqua presentation on America's history change, providing an annual family event that educates as well as entertains.

*Chautauqua is a program of the Maryland Humanities Council presented in partnership with the College of Southern Maryland. The Maryland Humanities Council, Inc. is an independent, non-profit organization which receives support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Maryland Division of Historical and Cultural Programs, corporations, foundations, and individuals.