What is Chautauqua?
Chautauqua is Interactive Theater. Our performances take you on an astonishing journey into the past — to laugh with Mark Twain — to dream with Martin Luther King, Jr. — to walk the Trail of Tears with the Cherokee. You become an “eyewitness” to history. Chautauqua performers are part scholar and part actor. Fascinated by their characters for years, they can answer your questions in the character’s own words. Our programs reflect America’s diversity and feature compelling discussion. And it’s not a Chautauqua performance without audience participation. Prepare to meet some incredible people. Keep the questions coming and the conversation going!
What to expect at a Chautauqua show
One character — minimal set – and the audience is the supporting cast! First, a nationally acclaimed historical interpreter transports you back in time to tell a famous person’s stories. Then, the audience gets to join in to quiz the historical figure. Finally, the performer steps out of character and answers audience questions the subject couldn’t answer — or wouldn’t answer truthfully.
The history of Chautauqua
The Chautauqua Movement, which began in the 1870s in upstate New York, was a cultural and social phenomenon that captivated rural America and flourished until the mid-1920s. Initially sparked by the creation of a summer school and lecture series at Lake Chautauqua in 1874, the movement quickly grew into a nationwide sensation, blending education, entertainment, and community engagement. Chautauquas brought lectures, music, dance, drama, and other forms of “cultural enrichment” to small towns, where large tents served as temporary venues. The program was a mix of intellectual talks—featuring luminaries such as Mark Twain and Susan B. Anthony—and lively performances, including theater productions like A Tale of Two Cities.
These events became central to the social life of a town. When a Chautauqua arrived, all other activities ceased as townspeople dedicated themselves to learning, being entertained, and coming together as a community. This experience of combining education with entertainment earned Chautauquas the title of “the most American thing in America,” as coined by Theodore Roosevelt.
By the turn of the 20th century, Chautauquas were held across the United States, from coast to coast. In 1904, the movement expanded with the introduction of traveling “circuit” Chautauquas, which brought performances and lectures to thousands of towns by train, reaching an audience of over 40 million people by 1924. These traveling shows featured a mix of high-profile speakers, international music stars, vaudeville acts, and scientists, making the Chautauqua the largest cultural event in North America at the time.
Though the rise of radio and motion pictures led to the decline of Chautauquas, their legacy lived on. The movement’s fusion of education and entertainment laid the foundation for modern platforms like TED Talks, NPR, and had a lasting influence on journalism, television, and politics. At its peak, the Chautauqua Movement represented a vital part of American cultural life, promoting the idea that learning was a lifelong pursuit.
In 1976, Everett Albers, Executive Director of the North Dakota Humanities Council, pioneered the modern Chautauqua in America. This new iteration expanded upon the original traveling tent shows that featured solo presentations, transforming them into a dynamic program with five scholars portraying historical figures through first-person dramatic performances. Each scholar would give a solo presentation in character one evening and host two daytime workshops, sharing their unique perspective. This innovation marked the beginning of a new movement, addressing a key challenge for many humanities organizations: how to foster meaningful interactions between scholars and the public in an accessible and engaging way.
By 1980, the Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota humanities councils joined forces with the North Dakota Humanities Council to establish the Great Plains Chautauqua Society. A century after the original Chautauqua circuit, scholars once again toured, presenting historical figures centered around a unifying theme. In 1991, the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa and the Oklahoma Humanities Council collaborated to bring Chautauqua performances to Oklahoma.
Enid joined the annual Chautauqua rotation in 1995.
