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Who among us wouldn�t find a conversation with Thomas Paine or Martin Luther King, Jr., interesting? How about Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Eugene V. Debs � or maybe Jonathan Winthop? Greenville residents will have a chance to go back in time to listen and talk to these famous and influential Americans of days gone by when the Greenville Chautauqua Society presents its sixth consecutive Chautauqua Festival, scheduled to be at Cleveland Park, through tomorrow. For those who are unfamiliar with a Chautauqua Festival, these events are held in various communities nationwide, and are based on an �adult summer school� that was held in the summer of 1874 on the shore of Lake Chautauqua, NY. The original Chautauqua Festival featured contemporary speakers who inspired attendees to think and form opinions about contemporary issues. Traveling tent shows brought Chautauqua to the rest of the country for years; from 1915 to 1928, Chautauqua came to Greenville, and was considered �the highlight of the summer season.� While Chautauqua Festivals continued uninterrupted in some communities, Greenville�s interest waned - that is, until a resurgence of energy and interest in the late 1990s brought the festival back. For the past five summers, Greenville has been fortunate to see a return of the Chautauqua Festival. These festivals have featured famous historic figures that somehow shaped their own time and influenced the future as well. Master scholars portray these various people � staying devotedly in character throughout � and then return to their own identities as master scholars at the end of the evening, speaking about their character�s significance from a perspective that only time can give. The experience for festival attendees is fascinating, and is similar to a visit to Historic Williamsburg, where visitors can run into Thomas Jefferson, a wig maker, or a cobbler on the street or in a shop, and have a conversation that �takes place� in early May 1774. This year�s Greenville Chautauqua Festival is themed �American Visions,� and will feature five great Americans whose lives spanned three centuries. Each character � Jonathan Winthrop, Thomas Paine, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Eugene V. Debs, and Martin Luther King � tell the story of our country through their autobiographies. Every night will feature a different performance, and all performances begin at 7 PM (except opening night, Saturday, June 19, when the evening begins at 6:30 PM with the Greenville Concert Band) under the signature blue and white tent in a new location at Cleveland Park, near the Greenville Zoo. Festival-goers will be invited to walk in their footsteps, examine their choices, share their company, and experience American history as seen through their eyes. Chautauqua 2004 focuses its attention on the ever-expanding vision of America. Attendees will listen as John Winthrop and Thomas Paine discuss the intangible dreams of 18th-Century American colonists, the rights that were once extended to only a few, and how those rights have grown to include all Americans. For those who are interested in pursuing these influential lives further, various adult and children�s workshops are also part of the festival�s offerings. All performances are free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic dinner and some lawn chairs, and enjoy meeting some of the most famous people in American history under the Greenville summer sky. Pre-performance musical entertainment will be part of the evening as well. Rain site for the Cleveland Park main events is ARP Presbyterian Church, 741 Cleveland Street. A complete listing of the festival performances and additional activities follows:
Chautauqua Festival Performances � Special Events at Various Locations around Town � Friday, June 18, 7 PM, Thomas Paine at the History Museum of Upcountry SC (864-467-3106). Before John Winthrop and Thomas Paine have their conversation on Saturday night, this pre-festival event will cover �Common Sense� with Carrol Peterson as Thomas Paine. Saturday, June 19, 9-11 AM, Thomas Paine at The Saturday Market, downtown Greenville at Court Street. Host ImagineNation sponsors a colonial day at The Saturday Market, where Thomas Paine will tell young people, �We have a chance to begin the world over again � to imagine a nation.� Saturday, June 19, 7 PM, Opening Night at Cleveland Park � all characters introduced. Sunday, June 20, 12:30 PM, Fathers Day Brunch at the Westin Poinsett Hotel. A Greenville tradition in the hotel�s ballroom. The meal is exquisite, and the 2004 cast will be present to meet and ask questions. Tickets are $30 each; please call 864-268-6937.
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