ASHLAND — Five chautauqua scholars will bring history to life for five nights at the Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell.
The 27th annual Ashland Chautauqua begins Tuesday evening and runs through Saturday night, featuring evening performances and several additional activities planned during morning and afternoon hours.
A dress rehearsal was conducted Monday evening at the band shell. Each scholar shared about a five-minute snippet of their respective presentation and answered audience questions as both themselves and their characters.
What to expect at a chautauqua
The Ashland Chautauqua will involve five scholars who have exhaustively studied the characters they’re portraying — to the extent they can “become” their character for a first-person dramatic presentation. Complete with a costume of the time period, scholars will also answer audience questions following their presentation — first as the character and then as the scholar who studied them.
All performances begin with an opening act at 7 p.m. at the band shell, 209 Parkside Drive, followed by the evening’s featured living history performance at 8 p.m. In case of inclement weather, evening performances may be moved indoors.
Updates will be available daily after 5 p.m. by visiting the event’s website, Facebook page or by calling 419-281-3018.
Each Ashland Chautauqua event is free to the public thanks to several generous sponsors and donors. Below is the schedule for evening performances at the band shell:
Tuesday
Opening act: Mike Gorrell
Living history: Susan Marie Frontczak as Erma Bombeck, a popular 20th-century humorist.
Wednesday
Opening act: Steve Brown Jazz Trio
Living history: Martin Lahman as Thomas Paine, an English-born American founding father.
Thursday
Opening act: The Bridge Live!
Living history: Becky Stone as Mary Fields, also known as “Stagecoach Mary,” a mail carrier in the Old West.
Friday
Opening act: Austin Walkin’ Cane
Living history: John Dennis Anderson as Washington Irving, a 19th-century writory, historian and diplomat.
Saturday
Opening act: Roger & Robin
Living history: Rebecca Marks Jimerson as Coretta Scott King, an author, activist and Civil Rights leader.
Chautauqua workshops and coffee chats
In addition to evening performances, several workshops will take place at various locations throughout Ashland County from Tuesday through Saturday.
Below is the schedule for these workshops, including the time and location, along with a brief description:
Tuesday
Freedom Concerts for the Future: A youth workshop with Rebecca Marks Jimerson at the Salvation Army Ashland Kroc Center, 527 E. Liberty St., at 1 p.m.
Wednesday
African American Women in the Wild West: An adult workshop led by Becky Stone at The Golden Center at the Loudonville Public Library, 122 E. Main St., at 10 a.m.
Washington Irving in American Popular Culture: An adult workshop with John Dennis Anderson at the Ashland County Council on Aging, 240 E. 3rd St., at 1 p.m.
Hooked on Humor: An adult workshop led by Susan Marie Frontczak at the Ashland Public Library, 224 Claremont Ave., at 2:30 p.m.
Thursday
Coffee with the Scholars: Join the scholars for coffee at the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce, 121 W. Main St., at 9 a.m.
Ideology of Thomas Paine: An adult workshop with Martin Lahman at Mill Run Place, 1715 Richard Drive, at 1 p.m.
“The Spectre Bridegroom:” A youth workshop led by John Dennis Anderson at the Ashland Public Library, 224 Claremont Ave., at 2:30 p.m.
Voices of Change: An adult workshop with Rebecca Marks Jimerson at the Ashland County Senior Citizens Center, 615 W. 10th St., at 4 p.m.
Friday
Coffee with the Scholars: Join the scholars for coffee at the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce, 121 W. Main St., at 9 a.m.
Thomas Paine – Might of the Pen: A youth workshop with Martin Lahman for the YMCA Youth Camp at the Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell, 209 Parkside Drive, at 10 a.m. The rain location will be the Ashland YMCA, 207 Miller St.
America’s Classical Stories for Children: A youth workshop led by Susan Marie Frontczak at the Freer Home, 420 Center St., at 1 p.m.
The Games Pioneer Children Played: A youth workshop with Becky Stone at the Ashland Public Library, 224 Claremont Ave., at 2:30 p.m.
Saturday
Coffee with the Scholars: Join the scholars for coffee at the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce, 121 W. Main St., at 9 a.m.
