History Comes Alive: Rebecca Motte/Edgar Allan Poe/Paul Robeson/Captain Henry Felder/Mother Jones

FREE. In-person events. In celebration of this notable occasion - the 250th anniversary of America's Revolutionary War - Chautauqua explores "Revolutionary Americans." We celebrate not only those in the Carolinas who fought and often died for freedom during this revolutionary period but also those who continued to upset the status quo to reshape their world and make America a more perfect union. Summer Chautauqua: Rebecca Motte - Raised in privilege in Charleston, Rebecca Motte demonstrated unwavering commitment toward the American Revolution war efforts. She directed her plantation workforce to fortify the city's defenses and later supported the Continental forces by supplying provisions from her plantation and townhouse. Hear the story of this prominent woman's adventures under the British siege of Charleston, including her escape upriver to join Patriot forces and her provision of the tools necessary to destroy the British headquarters in her occupied plantation home! By war's end, she emerged as one of South Carolina's wealthiest individuals. - Motte will be portrayed by actress/writer/director Chris Weatherhead whom local audiences last saw as Mary Chesnut. Chris also appeared as Rebecca Motte in the 2024 film Echoes of Glory, Heroes from the American Revolution. Edgar Allan Poe - Raised in the theater and orphaned as a child, Poe was fostered by a wealthy Richmond, Virginia merchant who had admired the acting of the boy's mother. Poe attended the University of Virginia and then West Point where he rebelled against the academy's restrictions. He excelled in the literary arts, becoming a master of the macabre as well as the poet of the people. He became an unsurpassed teller of tales who created the detective genre, inspiring Arthur Conan Doyle to create Sherlock Holmes. As a literary critic his essays on art angered the established artistic world and inspired new generations of writers. - Poe will be portrayed by Larry Bounds. Larry, a retired teacher of English and 23-year Chautauquan, spent decades in the classroom sharing the poetry and tales of the great E. A. Poe. He has long found Chautauqua to be one of the best methods for sharing Poe's art and passion. Paul Robeson - After being a twice All-American college footballer for Rutgers and a player on two NFL teams, Paul Robeson completed his law degree at Columbia University. Adding to his remarkable achievements, he became a star on stage, a famed concert singer, an A-list movie star and for 20 years a good friend of Albert Einstein. Additionally, Robeson was one of the greatest inspirational figures of the Harlem Renaissance and an outspoken crusader for social justice. His controversial positions supporting left-wing causes during the era of the Red Scare enraged his critics and led to his blacklisting. Hear the remarkable stories about this many-faceted man. - Robeson is portrayed by Marvin Jefferson. Marvin, a Chautauqua scholar since 1997, has also presented Martin Luther King, Jr. and Louis Armstrong nationwide. He also portrays explorer York who is best known as a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Captain Henry Felder - Hans Henrich Felder, later Henry Felder, was born in Switzerland, immigrated to America with his parents as a young boy and settled in the Carolina backcountry in 1735. His position in the colony was well established when the tyrannies of the British Crown in response to the malcontent in the Colonies prompted him to cast his lot with the independence movement. Felder, along with his seven sons, formed a militia company to fight "all for liberty." Hear the story of his backcountry adventures and his two legendary canons which are still preserved and on display. - Henry Felder will be portrayed by Clarence Felder, his own sixth great-grandson. Star of the Broadway stage, television and Hollywood as well as director of the Actors' Theatre of South Carolina, Clarence also appeared as Capt. Henry Felder in his independent film All for Liberty. Mother Jones - Following the deaths of her family from yellow fever in 1867 and the destruction of her dressmaker business in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, Mary G. Harris Jones became a labor leader, organizer and activist. She led a national movement to better the lives of hard-working people by securing bans on child labor and co-founding the radical Industrial Workers of the World. By 1902, she was labeled "the most dangerous woman in America" because of her successes in organizing protest marches by men, women and even children. Jones assumed the persona of "Mother Jones" by wearing outdated black dresses, referring to the male workers she helped as "her boys," and claiming to be older than her 60 years. - Mother Jones will be portrayed by Karen Vuranch. Karen has presented Mother Jones across the United States and is known to our local audiences for her performances as Mama Cass Elliot and Julia Child. Mark your calendar and plan to join us for the fun of seeing history come to life. Shows will be in Greenville and Spartanburg, SC as well as Brevard, NC. Spartanburg shows require advance registration. Daily shows are performed in costume by nationally acclaimed historical interpreters. Get ready to laugh, cry and flat out have a great time at the 2026 History Comes Alive Festival. Ten-days of non-stop live history. For details visit: https://historycomesalive.org/ #GreenvilleChautauqua #HistoryComesAlive #Chautauqua #YeahThatGreenville #gvlarts #macartscouncil @macartscouncil #MAC #macgrants #HumanitiesRule #ChooseHumanities #GreenvilleTechnicalCollege #SeniorAction #CentreStage #SpartanburgCountyLibrary #TransylvaniaCountyLibrary #BrevardNC #LandWhereWaterFalls #LarryBounds #RebeccaMotte #ChrisWeatherhead #EdgarAllanPoe #PaulRobeson #CaptainHenryFelder #MotherJones #KarenVuranch #ClarenceFelder #MarvinJefferson #DiscoverSC #SCARTS #MetropolitanArtsCouncil

FREE. In-person events. In celebration of this notable occasion - the 250th anniversary of America's Revolutionary War - Chautauqua explores "Revolutionary Americans." We celebrate not only those in the Carolinas who fought and often died for freedom during this revolutionary period but also those who continued to upset the status quo to reshape their world and make America a more perfect union. Summer Chautauqua: Rebecca Motte - Raised in privilege in Charleston, Rebecca Motte demonstrated unwavering commitment toward the American Revolution war efforts. She directed her plantation workforce to fortify the city's defenses and later supported the Continental forces by supplying provisions from her plantation and townhouse. Hear the story of this prominent woman's adventures under the British siege of Charleston, including her escape upriver to join Patriot forces and her provision of the tools necessary to destroy the British headquarters in her occupied plantation home! By war's e...