History Comes to Life Through Great Basin Young Chautauqua

By The Nevada Humanities Staff

What do these three historical figures — Samuel Clemens, Madeleine L’Engle, and Evel Knievel — all have in common? They will all converge at the same time and in the same place in Sparks, Nevada. The Nevada Humanities Great Basin Young Chautauqua Showcase presents the stories of these and other historical characters through live theatrical performances on Thursday, June 28 and Friday, June 29 from 6:00-9:00 pm at the Restless Artists’ Theatre in Sparks. Our theme this year is “Creativity and Imagination.” Come and be amazed and inspired!

In case you are unfamiliar, GBYC is an award-winning youth program that has inspired more than one hundred satellite programs throughout Nevada and around the nation — Young Chautauqua has become a rite of passage for young people who share a love of history and exploring characters from the past. GBYC celebrates its 26th season and continues to share a deep appreciation of history with young scholars throughout northern Nevada. We hope that you will join us for these free performances by Nevada’s amazing young scholars at the Great Basin Young Chautauqua showcase.  

Performers and the characters they represent this season include:
Grace Alano as Carrie Nation
Markus Alano as “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Sami Alano as Frieda Kahlo
Jayden Gimblin as Samuel Clemens
Maisy Grieve as Juliette Gordon Low
Millie Grieve as Grace Hopper
Clara Hall as Hedy Lamarr
Kelbey Hilliard as Madeleine L’Engle
Alex Johnson as Bob Ross
Hattie Kaplan as Hedy Lamarr
Lily Kaplan as Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton
Jillian Kirgin as Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Luke Kohler as Hugh O’Brian
Yami Lopez as Susan B. Anthony
Maclain McBride as Evel Knievel
Riley McBride as Layne Staley
Ayden McMurray as Nikola Tesla
Cade Patten as Roald Dahl
Melody Tranchita as Robin Williams
Maxwell Vohland as Ludwig van Beethoven
Eli Woolstenhulme as Eddie Rickenbacker
Kalli Woolstenhulme as Dat-So-La-Lee
Kate Woolstenhulme as Lady Bird Johnson

Take time out of your weekend to experience Young Chautauqua for yourself. Capture a space in time and live the life of history expertly portrayed by these talented Young Chautauquans. You won’t be disappointed! Both evenings are free and open to all. For more information visit:

Images courtesy of Nevada Humanities