Programs Committee

The Programs Committee is responsible for coordinating:

• The evening programs (Media Night and Tent Programs)
• The (optional) Breakfast
• Daily adult workshops
• Evaluations

The Evening Programs

Wednesday

The Chautauqua events kick off with a “Media Night.”  The committee should invite local and regional newspaper, radio, and television media to promote the event.   The Chautauquans will be available for interviews. Each Chautauquan will be dressed in character and will be introduced to the community.  The general public should also be invited. This informal gathering is a time for community members to mingle with the Chautauquans while enjoying light refreshments. It is an opportunity for all.

Thursday – Sunday

The official opening of Chautauqua events begins with FDR on the stage Thursday evening. The evening performances continue with Aimee Semple McPherson on Friday, Zora Neale Hurston on Saturday, and Huey Long on Sunday. Will Rogers will moderate all evening performances.

Four parts of the Evening Program:

PART I:  Entertainment.

Thursday

• At 7 PM, Will Rogers will begin the evening with his antics, rope tricks, and down-home humor. This will begin 30 minutes before the evening presentation. Rogers will perform for 20 minutes. A short (10 minute) break will follow his presentation to set the stage before the tent program.

Friday

• Audiences will be invited early to attend the performances of the youth Chautauquans. Youth Chautauquans’ performances run about one hour and begin around 6 PM on Friday. Youth Chautauquans present first-person characterizations of local historical figures for about two-to-five minutes depending on their age and ability.
• Usually the audience is packed with eager parents; however, this is an opportunity for the entire community to come out and support their young scholars. All are encouraged to attend.

Saturday

• Audiences will be invited to participate in an interactive radio program.  Chautauqua planning committee members or community members will read the script.  The NHC coordinator will orchestrate the sound effects with the help of the audience.
• Live radio shows, presented by a local theater troupe, will begin 30 minutes before evening presentations. Shows will run 20 minutes. A short (10 minute) break will follow the entertainment to set the stage for the tent program.
• Optional: The host community can plan for local entertainment to be offered on Saturday, Sunday, or both evenings.  Local musical entertainment should last no more than 20 minutes and must end promptly, 10 minutes before the tent program begins.

Sunday

• At 7 PM, Will Rogers will begin the evening with his antics, rope tricks, and down-home humor. This will begin 30 minutes before the evening presentation. Rogers will perform for 20 minutes. A short (10 minute) break will follow his presentation to set the stage before the tent program.

PART II:  Will Rogers and the Evening Chautauqua Program

• This begins after the break, which provides time to set the stage.
• The local Master of Ceremonies introduces Will Rogers. The Master of Ceremonies will receive a script from the NHC coordinator. This script not only introduces Will Rogers, the figure, but also highlights to the audience how the evening will proceed. This should include the three parts of the Chautauqua stage program: presentation, questions from audience to historical figures, and questions from audience to scholars.
• Will Rogers takes the stage and invites the audience into the Thirties. As moderator he begins the evening program by talking about his life and times (about ten minutes). He then introduces the featured historical figure for that evening. The presentation by the scholar in character is the centerpiece of the evening and is offered as a text in preparation for discussion with the audience. The presentation lasts about 40 minutes.

PART III:  Audience begins discussion with historical figures.

• The audience is free to ask questions of the historical figures.
• Will Rogers will repeat, and possibly rephrase if needed, the questions from the audience giving the scholar in character time to consider his or her answer.
• This continues for about 15-20 minutes or longer as needed.

PART IV:  Audience begins discussion with scholars.

• Both Will Rogers and the featured historical figure step out of character and present themselves as scholars.
• Questioning continues with the Will Roger’s scholar moderating for about 15 minutes or longer as needed.

The Breakfast Program

As an optional event, Chautauquans (not in character) are prepared to meet the community at one breakfast, preferably on Saturday morning. The breakfast provides an opportunity for further conversations. There are no formal presentations. If you choose this program, you will work with your NHC coordinator on arranging how the breakfast will be handled; she will provide several breakfast formats.

Daily Workshops

The Kansas-Nebraska Chautauqua offers nine adult workshops during Chautauqua.   Workshops provide an excellent opportunity for people in your community to interact with the visiting scholars. The scholar, not the character whom the scholar represents, presents each workshop. Workshops are scheduled to run for an hour.   The committee is responsible for coordinating workshop locations, audio-visual needs, and (optional) refreshments.

Evaluation of Programs

Evaluation of programs is an essential component. Obtain evaluation forms from your NHC coordinator.