Événement

A Chautauqua Revue: Benefiting Arena Theater CHILDREN'S MATINEE

The Children's Matinee of The Chautauqua Revue will feature the side-splitting antics of Clowns on a Stick, the African dance troupe Group Kindia, Sonoma county chanteuse Teresa Tudury, the mentalist Lawrence Lemon, Albion aerialist Kara Morris, the harmonies of Sourdough Jam, the Ernest Bloch Bell Quartet, and the Big B and His City Slickers stage band.

What is a Chautauqua? Chautauquas are an American tradition that swept the nation in the late 19th century, bringing together rural communities for entertainment and culture. At their height Chautauquas combined elements of vaudeville, revival meetings, teach-ins and storytelling festivals. Chautauquas originated in the 1870s and developed into a nationwide educational summer camp movement which reached its peak in the 1920s with hundreds of permanent facilities and traveling "tent" Chautauquas providing lectures, music, and entertainment. The Chautauqua perfectly embodies Arena Theater's mission "to preserve the historic Arena Theater and to provide diverse entertainment, education, and performing arts" to our rural community and its visitors. The theater envisions presenting enriching, enjoyable, and challenging experiences, by supporting local performers as well as bringing quality entertainment from around the world to the community. Arena Theater's Chautauqua will offer the fun of vaudeville with clowns and jugglers; present diverse entertainers, storytellers and poets--from near and far--including Jeremy and Joel Crockett, Texas Jon and Mitch McFarland, and feature music and dance as varied as the classical violin of Marcia Lotter and the African dance troupe, Group Kindia. Chautauquas have always brought people together to renew their ties to one another. Today's Chautauqua spirit reflects what is most positive about American, rural culture. These modern descendents of the Chautauqua movement take many forms, nonetheless they all reflect the celebration of community, enlightenment and the arts that was the hallmark of the early Chautauquas. Join us also in the parking lot for a bake sale and Jumpy house at 3 PM, and Chicken Dinner at 5:00 PM.