Female Civil War surgeon to visit Coshocton during Ohio Chautauqua
Ohio Chautauqua, presented by the Ohio Humanities Council, will be in Coshocton July 19-23 presenting characters from the American Civil War. Ohio Chautauqua is one of the signature events for the Coshocton Bicentennial Celebration in 2011. Debra Conner, from Parkersburg, W.Va., will be among the five-person troupe and will portray Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the first female Civil War surgeon and only woman ever to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Conner has been involved in first person interpretation since 1997. “I first saw someone do a Chautauqua-style presentation at my library and I found it enchanting,” she shared. “Most appealing was the depth of knowledge that the scholar demonstrated. Being able to answer questions fully and authentically was a tour de force. It’s the ultimate test of scholarship and for the audience it makes learning fun.”
She said she has perfected her craft through practice and by watching others. “I am not a historian and I have no theatre training,” she said. “But I love learning and I work very hard. I’ve probably made every mistake that’s possible to make. Having a background in creative writing (I have an MFA in creative writing) is, I think, an advantage. My strength is in finding and creating engaging material.”
Conner has performed with several Chautauquas throughout the country. “This is my sixth tour with Ohio Chautauqua,” she said. “I’ve done other Chautauquas in Missouri, Florida, Arkansas, South and North Carolina, and in Ashland, Ohio. I’ll be participating in one in Colorado in August.”
Conner said that after realizing there would be a demand for Civil War characters because of the 150th anniversary, she began looking at different women of the time. “When I found Dr. Walker’s story, I was tremendously impressed by her accomplishments and dismayed by the fact that she’s not well known,” she said. “She has a strong presence and an unusual story, ingredients that make for a good on-stage portrayal. I also knew that people would be interested in Civil War medicine. I hope audiences learn from Dr. Walker’s story how important it is to stand up to prejudice and discrimination. She was fearless, willing to argue with generals and presidents, staging her own sit-ins, and refused to return her Congressional Medal of Honor when it was revoked. She was a woman who believed in herself and her abilities. She never took no for an answer. And we women can appreciate how much our foremothers had to fight to earn us the right to wear pants. Walker was arrested numerous times for wearing men’s clothing.”
For anyone wanting to learn more about Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, Conner recommends the following books: Dr. Mary Edwards Walker-Civil War Surgeon and Medal of Honor Recipient, by Bonnie Goldsmith; A Woman of Honor: Dr. Mary E. Walker and the Civil War, by Mercedes Graf; Doctor Mary Walker – An American Radical, by Sharon Harris; Civil War Doctor: The Story of Mary Edwards Walker, by Carla Joinson; and Mary Edwards Walker, by Dale L. Walker.
Conner is pleased to be returning to Coshocton. “I have been to Coshocton to visit Roscoe Village and Rainbow Hills Winery,” she said. “And I was also there in April of this year to visit Central Elementary School as Mary Edwards Walker and to attend the Chamber of Commerce annual dinner, where I portrayed Gone With the Wind author, Margaret Mitchell.”
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker will take the stage under the Ohio Chautauqua tent located at the Coshocton County Fairgrounds, 707 Kenilworth Avenue, on Friday, July 22, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Prior to her performance, there will be Civil War-era musical entertainment by Larry Stahl and Steve Ball at 6:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free.
Debra Conner will offer a workshop for youth fourth grade and up at the Coshocton Public Library, 655 Main St., at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 19, focusing on healthy living during the Civil War era. Her adult workshop, entitled Please, Do You Have Any News? will focus on the many lives lost during the Civil War. This workshop will be on Saturday, July 23, at 1 p.m., at the Central Ohio Technical College Campus, 200 N. Whitewoman St. Both workshops are free to attend.
Along with Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the other characters who will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. under the Ohio Chautauqua Tent during the week of July 19-23 are: Harriet Tubman, the famed Underground Railroad conductor and Union spy; Major Martin Delany, a physician, journalist and the highest ranking black commissioned officer in the Civil War; Mary Chesnut, the wife of a Confederate politician who kept detailed diaries throughout the war; and Abe Lincoln, the president who fought to preserve the Union.
There will also be daytime workshops led by each of the scholars for both youth and adults. The youth workshops are appropriate for youth ages 10 and older and will be held at the Coshocton Public Library at 10:30 a.m. each day, July 19-23. The adult workshops will take place at Central Ohio Technical College, at 2 p.m., July 19-22, and at 1 p.m. July 23.
There is no charge to attend the evening performances or the daytime workshops. For more information about Ohio Chautauqua in Coshocton, contact the Coshocton Convention and Visitors Bureau at 740-622-4877, 800-338-4724 or http://www.VisitCoshocton.com or Coshocton’s Bicentennial website at http://www.Coshocton2011.com.
Conner has been involved in first person interpretation since 1997. “I first saw someone do a Chautauqua-style presentation at my library and I found it enchanting,” she shared. “Most appealing was the depth of knowledge that the scholar demonstrated. Being able to answer questions fully and authentically was a tour de force. It’s the ultimate test of scholarship and for the audience it makes learning fun.”
She said she has perfected her craft through practice and by watching others. “I am not a historian and I have no theatre training,” she said. “But I love learning and I work very hard. I’ve probably made every mistake that’s possible to make. Having a background in creative writing (I have an MFA in creative writing) is, I think, an advantage. My strength is in finding and creating engaging material.”
Conner has performed with several Chautauquas throughout the country. “This is my sixth tour with Ohio Chautauqua,” she said. “I’ve done other Chautauquas in Missouri, Florida, Arkansas, South and North Carolina, and in Ashland, Ohio. I’ll be participating in one in Colorado in August.”
Conner said that after realizing there would be a demand for Civil War characters because of the 150th anniversary, she began looking at different women of the time. “When I found Dr. Walker’s story, I was tremendously impressed by her accomplishments and dismayed by the fact that she’s not well known,” she said. “She has a strong presence and an unusual story, ingredients that make for a good on-stage portrayal. I also knew that people would be interested in Civil War medicine. I hope audiences learn from Dr. Walker’s story how important it is to stand up to prejudice and discrimination. She was fearless, willing to argue with generals and presidents, staging her own sit-ins, and refused to return her Congressional Medal of Honor when it was revoked. She was a woman who believed in herself and her abilities. She never took no for an answer. And we women can appreciate how much our foremothers had to fight to earn us the right to wear pants. Walker was arrested numerous times for wearing men’s clothing.”
For anyone wanting to learn more about Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, Conner recommends the following books: Dr. Mary Edwards Walker-Civil War Surgeon and Medal of Honor Recipient, by Bonnie Goldsmith; A Woman of Honor: Dr. Mary E. Walker and the Civil War, by Mercedes Graf; Doctor Mary Walker – An American Radical, by Sharon Harris; Civil War Doctor: The Story of Mary Edwards Walker, by Carla Joinson; and Mary Edwards Walker, by Dale L. Walker.
Conner is pleased to be returning to Coshocton. “I have been to Coshocton to visit Roscoe Village and Rainbow Hills Winery,” she said. “And I was also there in April of this year to visit Central Elementary School as Mary Edwards Walker and to attend the Chamber of Commerce annual dinner, where I portrayed Gone With the Wind author, Margaret Mitchell.”
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker will take the stage under the Ohio Chautauqua tent located at the Coshocton County Fairgrounds, 707 Kenilworth Avenue, on Friday, July 22, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Prior to her performance, there will be Civil War-era musical entertainment by Larry Stahl and Steve Ball at 6:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free.
Debra Conner will offer a workshop for youth fourth grade and up at the Coshocton Public Library, 655 Main St., at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 19, focusing on healthy living during the Civil War era. Her adult workshop, entitled Please, Do You Have Any News? will focus on the many lives lost during the Civil War. This workshop will be on Saturday, July 23, at 1 p.m., at the Central Ohio Technical College Campus, 200 N. Whitewoman St. Both workshops are free to attend.
Along with Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the other characters who will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. under the Ohio Chautauqua Tent during the week of July 19-23 are: Harriet Tubman, the famed Underground Railroad conductor and Union spy; Major Martin Delany, a physician, journalist and the highest ranking black commissioned officer in the Civil War; Mary Chesnut, the wife of a Confederate politician who kept detailed diaries throughout the war; and Abe Lincoln, the president who fought to preserve the Union.
There will also be daytime workshops led by each of the scholars for both youth and adults. The youth workshops are appropriate for youth ages 10 and older and will be held at the Coshocton Public Library at 10:30 a.m. each day, July 19-23. The adult workshops will take place at Central Ohio Technical College, at 2 p.m., July 19-22, and at 1 p.m. July 23.
There is no charge to attend the evening performances or the daytime workshops. For more information about Ohio Chautauqua in Coshocton, contact the Coshocton Convention and Visitors Bureau at 740-622-4877, 800-338-4724 or http://www.VisitCoshocton.com or Coshocton’s Bicentennial website at http://www.Coshocton2011.com.
Published: July 7, 2011
