Action-Packed Lives Take the Stage at 2023 Ashland Chautauqua

A few years ago, some young audience members said, “These characters are great, but you should do a theme to get really active characters, you know, like action heroes.” And so we have this year’s theme: “History’s Real Action Figures.”

Real life can be as adventuresome and amazing as fiction. This year the character Harry Houdini, portrayed by scholar Larry Bounds, closes our 5-night series of performances in the Guy C. Myers Band Shell on Saturday. Houdini was a flesh-and-blood person, but his life remains a mystery for two reasons. First, Houdini’s imagination moved easily between truth and fiction so a listener (or a historian) could not be sure which of the two was being expressed when Houdini spoke. Second, he could perform physical feats that defied explanation. Houdini died nearly 100 years ago, but his name is recognizable by nearly everyone today and is synonymous with words like “magic” and “escape.” A real action figure.

Meriwether Lewis co-led (with William Clark) the Corps of Discovery commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the newly-acquired Louisiana Purchase territory and to find a travel-worthy route to the Pacific Ocean. Any day in this wilderness, guided or misguided by primitive maps, could hold unforeseen events—swollen rivers, animal encounters, meetings with indigenous people. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was well-documented by the men’s journals, a detailed gift of exploration for generations to come. We will hear Meriwether Lewis tell his story, portrayed by scholar Brian “Fox” Ellis, on opening night.

Jackie Cochran was as bold an adventurer as ever existed and quite a character too. She became interested in flying because she wanted to get around the country to market her line of cosmetics. She found that she loved flying. She was bold and competitive, risk-taking, brash, and vain. She had friends in high places (such as President Dwight Eisenhower) and yet many others distanced themselves from her and her abrasive style. How will she present herself to our Chautauqua audience on Wednesday evening through scholar Karen Vuranch? We audience members can speculate: why is this high-achieving, once highly publicized woman all but forgotten by history? Pirates in their “Golden Age” were real action figures that grew into legends with a fascination that never seems to end. Research into their lives pulls together “pieces and parts” of a lifestyle that did not exactly match the stereotypes. Pirates apparently had a defined social order and were not generally the terrorizing cutthroats of legend. Samuel Bellamy had a short and tragic career in piracy, documented sufficiently to tell his story and he will do so on Friday evening; portrayed by Joey Madia. Through his recollections, we will learn of the orderly but dangerous business of piracy and of the thin line between privateering on behalf of a monarch and the business of being a pirate for one’s own benefit. Bellamy’s story is one of adventure, love, success, and tragedy.

A social activist is an action figure of another type. Pauli Murray knew of slavery and discrimination as experienced by her grandparents and knew racial discrimination in her own life. A person with her intellect and spirit could not be held back. When she experienced discrimination as a woman trying to get an education, she set on a life course of activism so that others would not be held back as she was. She became an attorney. She became a writer. She became an Episcopal priest. She was an indefatigable advocate for human rights. Scholar Becky Stone will portray her on Thursday evening. Check the schedule on page 3 for daytime workshops being offered by the scholars. All evening performances and all workshops are free and open to the public.

Pick up your 5-Nighter card Tuesday and have it marked by a Chautauqua volunteer every evening to be eligible for the prize drawing Saturday night.

Coffee with the Scholars will be held Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning in the Community Room at the Ashland Board of Realtors (107 E Main Street), starting at 8:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome to get better acquainted with the scholars and learn about behind-the-scenes Chautauqua.

The summer of 2024 will bring a special celebration event: 25 years of Ashland Chautauqua! To commemorate this tradition, we have invited back five memorable scholars/characters. See page 19 for more information about our “Silver Celebration” theme. In addition, scholar John Anderson is returning as Louis Bromfield, April 25-27 (see page 17).

Ashland Chautauqua is supported by Ohio Humanities, the Ohio Arts Council, the City of Ashland’s Parks & Recreation Department, Explore Ashland, local businesses and organizations, and local residents who want to see this vibrant celebration of history thrive in our community. We are grateful to Ashland Main Street, our fiscal agent. This programming is planned and implemented by a committee of local citizen volunteers. Thanks to everyone—planners, funders, scholars, and audience members—who make Ashland Chautauqua an exciting and informative event year after year!

Now, let’s enjoy a week with “History’s Real Action Figures.”