Chautauqua 2014 at Montgomery College Celebrates “Creative Women: Breaking the Mold,” July 9-11
Georgia O’Keeffe, Emily Dickinson and Frida Kahlo will come alive this summer at Montgomery College’s 15th annual Chautauqua celebration at the Germantown Campus, July 9–11. Actors/scholars will portray the historical figures, bringing to life this year’s theme of “Creative Women: Breaking the Mold,” at the three-night, family-friendly event. The performances are sponsored by the Maryland Humanities Council.
All three performances begin at 7 p.m. at the newly-renovated and air-conditioned Globe Hall, located in the High Technology and Science Center, 20200 Observation Drive, Germantown, Md. All performances are free and open to the public.
Each Chautauqua program begins with a short performance by a local musician. Next, an actor/scholar takes the stage to portray a historical figure. The actors/scholars modify their clothing, hair and speech to give audiences the illusion that they are listening to the actual historical figure during their time.
The 2014 program schedule, with biographies on the historical figures, is as follows:
Wednesday, July 9, 2014 7 p.m. - Opening musical performance by Loralyn Coles An Evening with Georgia O’Keeffe, Performed by Kelly Rouse
Georgia O’Keefe (1887-1986) is considered the first woman in the American Modern Art movement and is best known for her striking paintings of flowers, bones, and landscapes. An extended visit to New Mexico in 1929 had a profound effect on O’Keeffe’s work, sparking a new period that resulted in her celebrated Southwestern paintings. She settled permanently near Santa Fe in 1949 and died there at the age of 98, leaving a rich legacy of American images.
Kelley Rouse is an award winning broadcast journalist and former news anchor at WBOC-TV in Salisbury. She teaches media writing in the Communication Arts Department at Salisbury University and leads book discussions at the Worcester County and Somerset County public libraries. Rouse’s first one-woman show was about Montana's Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress. She has been appearing as Georgia O’Keeffe since 2002 in a one-woman play written by Martha Furey.
Thursday, July 10, 2014 7 p.m. - Opening musical performance by Ellen Cherry An Evening with Emily Dickinson, Performed by MiMi Zannino
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was an American poet whose works are considered among the finest in the English language. From her family home in Amherst, Massachusetts, she exchanged spirited, engaging letters with family and friends, exploring events of her day and addressing intellectual and artistic topics of the time. Although she was a prolific poet, only a dozen of her works were published during her lifetime, with nearly 1,800 published for the first time after her death.
MiMi Zannino is a published poet and teaching artist who facilitates creative writing and memoir-writing classes throughout Maryland in schools, hospitals, and retirement communities. She has served the Maryland State Arts Council as a poet-in-residence since 1989 and has also coordinated the National Endowment for the Arts "Poetry Out Loud Program" in Maryland. She is the author of books for children and adults, and her articles and poetry have appeared in numerous publications. A graduate of the Johns Hopkins University, Towson University, and the Teaching Artist Institute programs, Zannino researched, wrote and performs, “Time Travel with Emily Dickinson,” throughout the mid-Atlantic region.
Friday, July 11, 2014 7 p.m. - Opening musical performance by Andrew McKnight An Evening with Frida Kahlo, Performed by Marian Licha
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was a Mexican artist best known for her self-portraits painted in vibrant colors. Kahlo suffered lifelong health problems resulting from childhood polio and injuries from a bus accident, and she endured a troubled marriage with the famous muralist Diego Rivera. These physical and emotional wounds are reflected in her paintings. Although her work was not widely known during her lifetime, she is now recognized internationally for her complex images that inspire the viewer to ponder the mix of psychological, political, social, and cultural elements of her work. In legendary painter Frida Kahlo’s unconventional art class, the first lesson becomes the final lesson; death can be life and vice-versa.
Marian Licha is an award-winning actress best known for her one-woman show Frida Vice-Versa, which she co-authored and produced. In addition to her work in theatre, she has extensive experience in film, television, storytelling and radio. A recipient of a 2000 MCAC Theatre Fellowship Award and an Individual Artist Award for Solo Performance from the Maryland State Arts Council in 2010, Licha holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre from George Washington University and a master’s degree in Educational Theatre from New York University. She has also received training at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and The Second Studio for actors.
For more information on the Montgomery College Chautauqua, call 240-567-7746 or visit www.montgomerycollege.edu/chautauqua.
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