Nevada Humanities

Nevada Humanities presents the 2010 Nevada Humanities Chautauqua festival, June 22 – 26, at the Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater at Bartley Ranch Regional Park, 6000 Bartley Ranch Road, Reno. Explore the theme "Public Legends, Private Lives" and meet legendary characters including P.T. Barnum, Buffalo Bill, Emma Nevada, Bonnie and Clyde, Babe Ruth, Paul Robeson, Woody Guthrie, Joe Louis, and Julia Child during the evening programs. Each night begins with a musical performance featuring a local band. Music starts at 6:00 p.m., and Chautauqua performances begin at 7:00 p.m. There are plenty of comfortable chairs as well as a lawn area for those who prefer to sit on a blanket. Some people bring picnics while others take advantage of the excellent food offered for sale by Men Wielding Fire. Parking is plentiful and free. Nevada Humanities Chautauqua tickets are available for sale at nevadahumanities.org and at the gate the evening of the performance. General admission is $15 per night/$45 per weeklong pass for four shows; reserved seating is $30 per night/$90 per weeklong pass for four shows. For more information contact Nevada Humanities at 775-784-6587 or visit nevadahumanities.org.

Nevada Humanities Chautauqua blends the insights of historical research with the fun of theatrical entertainment. The Chautauqua format is simple: a performer, in the guise of a historical figure such as Babe Ruth or Julia Child, tells “first-hand” stories about important episodes in the character’s life. After the monologue, the audience and performer engage in a lively give and take. Finally, the performer emerges from character to respond to questions that could not be answered in character. Nevada Humanities Chautauqua was created by Nevada Humanities in Reno in 1992 and is one of the longest running Chautauqua festivals in the country.

In addition to Nevada Humanities Chautauqua evening performances, community events take place throughout Northern Nevada during Nevada Humanities Chautauqua week. Visit nevadahumanities.org for a complete roster of programs. On the mornings following each evening Chautauqua performance, people are invited to gather to meet Chautauqua performers, ask questions, and enjoy coffee and treats. Coffee with the Chautauquans is a free event, and takes place Thursday, June 24 & Friday, June 25 from 7:30 - 9:00 a.m., and Saturday, June 26 & Sunday, June 27 from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m., at Sundance Bookstore, 1155 West Fourth Street, Reno.

To celebrate the life and legacy of Julia Child, Nevada Humanities and Nothing To It! Culinary Center have come together in 2010 to create a unique program that combines the romance and fun of learning culinary skills inspired by Julia Child’s cuisine with the enlightening fun of a Chautauqua performance. The Julia Child Show: A Nevada Humanities Chautauqua Culinary Workshop, will take place Saturday, June 26, at 11:00 a.m., at the Nothing To It! Culinary Center, 225 Crummer Lane, Reno. Join a special “studio audience” as Chef Lara Ritchie makes a guest appearance on the “Julia Child Show,” hosted by nationally acclaimed Chautauqua performer Mary Ann Jung as Julia Child. Tickets are available online at www.nothingtoit.com for $55, and the workshop ticket includes admission to the June 26 evening performance at Bartley Ranch.

Nevada Humanities Chautauqua begins on Tuesday, June 22, at 6:00 p.m., at the Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater, Bartley Ranch Regional Park, Reno, with an entire evening of Young Chautauqua performances by some of the program’s most talented performers in a free public program. In addition, throughout the week of Nevada Humanities Chautauqua, Reno’s Young Chautauqua participants have a chance to showcase their talent with daily performances. Tuesday, June 22  – Friday, June 25, 9:30 am – 12:00 pm, all Young Chautauqua performers have a chance to perform on stage under the tent at the Flying B Pavilion at Bartley Ranch Regional Park, Reno; this program is free and open to the public, and children in the audience are invited to participate in hands-on craft activities. Nevada Humanities created the Young Chautauqua program in Reno in the early 1990s at the request of enthusiastic young people who wanted to know how they “could do it, too.” Since then, Young Chautauqua has spread to other Nevada communities and has been adopted by other states for use in classrooms around the nation.

Nevada Humanities Chautauqua is made possible with generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Robert Z. Hawkins Foundation, NV Energy, Intuit, Wells Fargo Advisors, Nothing To It! Culinary Center, KNPB, and many more community partners.