Defending John Brown: Henry David Thoreau and Worcesters Reform Tradition
History / Heritage - Performance
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
7:30 PM-9:30 PM
Mechanics Hall
Washburn Hall
321 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01608
Google Maps - MapQuest
On November 3, 1859, Henry David Thoreau delivered his impassioned lecture A Plea for Captain John Brown in Mechanics Halls Washburn Hall. To commemorate this event, nationally- known Thoreau re-enactor Kevin Radaker will portray Thoreau in a one-person dramatic presentation. Weaving together passages from Thoreaus writing with biographical and historical information, Radaker skillfully presents Thoreaus personality, intellect and wit, making the audience feel that they are in the presence of the actual man. This performance will stress Thoreaus political views and will contain selections from Thoreaus famous speech defending John Brown. The dramatic monologue will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Thoreau, then with Radaker. Additionally, Edmund Schofield will present a brief overview of Worcester in the nineteenth century and why this community was a center for anti-slavery and other reforms in the mid-nineteenth century.
Kevin Radaker is professor of English and Chair of the English Department at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana. Since 1991, he has presented his portrayal of Thoreau over 350 times throughout the United States at universities, colleges, libraries, state and national parks, and his "Thoreau" has been a part of summer Chautauqua tours in the Great Plains states, Missouri, Illinois, Massachusetts, the Carolinas, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Maryland, Ohio and Colorado. In addition, Professor Radaker has presented numerous papers on Thoreau at academic conferences, and he has published articles on Thoreau, Herman Melville, Annie Dillard, and Wendell Berry in encyclopedias and academic journals.
Edmund A. Schofield is an independent scholar who has spent over forty years studying and writing about Thoreau and Worcesters nineteenth-century history. A former president of the Thoreau Society, Dr. Schofield has organized several Thoreau symposia and edited Thoreaus World and Ours: A Natural Legacy.
Cost: Free
Suggested Audiences:
High School, College, Adult, Elders
Website: http://www.americanantiquarian.org/publiclec.htm
E-mail:
library@mwa.org
Phone: 508-755-5221
Last Modified: September 21, 2009 at 12:05 PM
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Defending John Brown: Henry David Thoreau and Worcesters Reform Tradition
History / Heritage - Performance
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
7:30 PM-9:30 PM
Mechanics Hall
Washburn Hall
321 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01608
Google Maps - MapQuest
On November 3, 1859, Henry David Thoreau delivered his impassioned lecture A Plea for Captain John Brown in Mechanics Halls Washburn Hall. To commemorate this event, nationally- known Thoreau re-enactor Kevin Radaker will portray Thoreau in a one-person dramatic presentation. Weaving together passages from Thoreaus writing with biographical and historical information, Radaker skillfully presents Thoreaus personality, intellect and wit, making the audience feel that they are in the presence of the actual man. This performance will stress Thoreaus political views and will contain selections from Thoreaus famous speech defending John Brown. The dramatic monologue will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Thoreau, then with Radaker. Additionally, Edmund Schofield will present a brief overview of Worcester in the nineteenth century and why this community was a center for anti-slavery and other reforms in the mid-nineteenth century.
Kevin Radaker is professor of English and Chair of the English Department at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana. Since 1991, he has presented his portrayal of Thoreau over 350 times throughout the United States at universities, colleges, libraries, state and national parks, and his "Thoreau" has been a part of summer Chautauqua tours in the Great Plains states, Missouri, Illinois, Massachusetts, the Carolinas, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Maryland, Ohio and Colorado. In addition, Professor Radaker has presented numerous papers on Thoreau at academic conferences, and he has published articles on Thoreau, Herman Melville, Annie Dillard, and Wendell Berry in encyclopedias and academic journals.
Edmund A. Schofield is an independent scholar who has spent over forty years studying and writing about Thoreau and Worcesters nineteenth-century history. A former president of the Thoreau Society, Dr. Schofield has organized several Thoreau symposia and edited Thoreaus World and Ours: A Natural Legacy.
Cost: Free
Sponsored by: Mass Humanities
Suggested Audiences: High School, College, Adult, Elders
Website: http://www.americanantiquarian.org/publiclec.htm
E-mail: library@mwa.org
Phone: 508-755-5221
Last Modified: September 21, 2009 at 12:05 PM
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