History comes alive at annual Chautauqua

Take a step back in time to the early days of the United States as the country celebrates its 250th anniversary.

That’s the invitation from the organizers of this year’s Boulder City Chautauqua, which will be held Oct. 23-24 at the Boulder Creek pavilion. Chautauqua, which has been taking place locally since 1992, will be featuring portrayals of Martha Washington, Paul Revere and Alexander Hamilton.

“We are very excited about our theme this year, as it coincides with the continuing celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday,” Boulder City Chautauqua Project Director Ihla Crowley said. “The theme was chosen far in advance, which gave us time to procure the best scholar/performers in the nation portraying these characters. For instance, Katharine Pittman is the official Martha Washington at the Colonial Williamsburg historical site. She also portrayed Martha Washington in the PBS Fourth of July special, filmed at Colonial Williamsburg’s Historical Area.

“Our other scholars are also excellent historians and well-respected in the Chautauqua circuit. I think we’re in for a very special experience at Chautauqua this year.”

The three stars of this year’s event were contacted by the Review and asked about the historical figures they will be portraying, how that came about and what the audience can expect.

Terry Lynch as Paul Revere, 6:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 23

Q: How do you feel about taking part in this year’s Chautauqua?

“I am extremely excited about being part of this year’s Chautauqua. I have only recently (within the past two years) broadened my outreach to the Chautauqua community and am thrilled to share Paul with them.”

Q: How long have you been performing as Paul Revere?

“I originally wrote Paul Revere five years ago for a Sons of the American Revolution annual chapter dinner and have been performing him for many different organizations since.”

Q: What about him appealed to you enough to portray him?

“As with many of the characters I portray, I found that Paul had far more going on behind the scenes than the history books tend to cover. This is a businessman trying to survive during a tumultuous time who has to choose which path to take before the history books are written. Often those choices are not as clear-cut as people think. I find his approach to convincing others to join the cause for independence fascinating.

Q: What can the audience expect from your portrayal?

“I hope the audience will walk away from my portrayal, entertained, informed, and itching to pick up a book and read more about Paul Revere. Plus, they should expect a laugh or two along the way.”

Dr. Hal Bidlack as Alexander Hamilton, 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 24

Q: How do you feel about taking part in this year’s Chautauqua?

“I’m excited to return to Boulder City. I performed Hamilton there a number of years ago, and the audience was great. I love the history of the city, and look forward to seeing all those nice folks again.”

Q: How long have you been performing as Alexander Hamilton?

“A bit over 26 years. I’m a retired career military officer, and I spent much of my time teaching political science at the U.S. Air Force Academy here in Colorado.

While I was in charge of the introduction to American politics and national security course that all cadets take, I happened across a C-SPAN show featuring Clay Jenkinson doing his show as Thomas Jefferson. I reached out to Clay and ultimately brought him to the Academy to perform his Jefferson for my students. We hit it off, and he actually recruited me to play Hamilton, as he really wanted a foe to argue with. I think he got tired to some degree of everyone loving Jefferson, so he wanted a foil. We’ve done a number of Jefferson/Hamilton debates over the years, in addition to our many individual shows. Clay remains a good friend and mentor.”

Q: What was it about him that appealed to you enough to portray him?

“Hamilton in many ways is the quintessential American success story. Coming from a rough birth and deep poverty, through his intellect and determination he rose to the highest levels of government and largely founded our economic and legal systems, all in a short 47 years. He was witty and insightful, and he is a delight to perform as.”

Q: What can the audience expect from your portrayal?

“I appear as Hamilton in the modern age. My show is in three parts: first, I come out as Hamilton and offer some unscripted thoughts to the audience about Hamilton’s world view and a look back over our history. The second portion — and the longest portion — involves responding to audience questions and thoughts. There are often themes that arise in the questions, some on economics, others include his rivalry with Jefferson, his objection to the Bill of Rights, and, of course, his affair with Mariah Reynolds and his duel with Burr.”

Katharine Pittman as Martha Washington, 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24

Q: How do you feel about taking part in this year’s Chautauqua?

“I am so honored to be a part of this year’s Chautauqua in Boulder City! The scholarship and performances on the schedule are very exciting and will give audiences a wonderful window into the founding time period of our nation’s history.”

Q: How long have you been performing as Martha Washington?

“I have been researching and performing as Mrs. Washington for over 10 years. Throughout my career I have gone from focusing on her life before being married to General Washington all the way through the presidency into their retirement. I am honored to have the opportunity to dive so deeply into researching her life.”

Q: What was it about her that appealed to you enough to portray her?

“Mrs. Washington has not always been given a fair portrayal throughout our shared history. She often has been presented only as the aged grandmother who stood quietly behind her husband. When you dive into her life, what I have found is a resilient, strong, determined, loyal and impressive woman in her own right. She is as three-dimensional as we are today. She experienced great joy, loss, success and failure in her life - all things that resonate with a modern audience.”

Q: What can the audience expect from your portrayal?

“I portray Mrs. Washington with as much honesty and integrity as I believe she had in her time. I also attempt to make her relatable to a modern audience so that they can see themselves in her story.”

Tickets

Tickets are $20 per performance, or $35 if one bundles an evening performance with the matinee. Buy tickets in person at Ace Hardware, Boulder Dam Hotel, or the Chamber of Commerce. They’re also online via a link at bcchautauqua.org.