Immerse Yourself in History At THE CHAUTAUQUA HISTORY COMES ALIVE FESTIVAL, June 9 - 18

Chautauqua's 2023 History Comes Alive Festival will feature performances in Greenville, Spartanburg, Liberty, Mauldin, Simpsonville and Abbeville. This season's theme is “Secrets Revealed!”

We all keep secrets, sometimes for practical reasons like a password or lock combination, sometimes for the very most personal of reasons. Chautauqua 2023, Secrets Revealed, will explore the secrets and lives of a host of accomplished and historic characters.

Who is more involved in the world of secrets than a spy? In the American Revolution, both the traitor Benedict Arnold and the British commander Cornwallis turned to an enslaved man named James to be their spy against the Americans. Both men never suspected the clever servant was already a spy for the Patriots!

Next we meet Mary Shelley, the wife of the great Romantic poet Percy Shelley and the possessor of all the juiciest secrets of the Romantic Age. Plus, at the age of only 19, she penned the famous Gothic novel Frankenstein, rife with secrets of its own.

Nellie Bly was America's pioneering undercover reporter. Her daring adventures in the Victorian Age revealed the horrors of mental institutions by having herself committed for “Ten Days in a Mad-House.” She went alone around the world in 72 days, she trained elephants, and she danced as a New York showgirl — all revealed in her popular newspaper articles.

Believe it or not, Robert Ripley created an entertainment empire by revealing secrets of the oddest and most unusual nature. His column was published worldwide as were his books, and he pioneered in radio and television broadcasting while personally living one of the most unbelievable lives of the 20th century!

And finally, Steve Jobs of Apple and Pixar fame will share the secrets of his success that shaped the way we live today, and oh, what secrets they are!

Join us this year as Chautauqua brings to life the practical and sometimes very personal secrets that have shaped and continue to shape this world we all share. And be thinking of the questions you would like to ask this year as we present Secrets Revealed!

What to Expect: Historical interpreters, dressed in costume, will bring important people from our past to life and speak in the character's own words. The audience can then question the character, delving more deeply into the issues that have been raised. The replies will be historically authentic, based on research using letters, diaries, journals, and published writings. Finally, the interpreter will step out of character and answer audience questions from a critical, modern perspective. 

More than history. More than a performance. More than a story. We are Chautauqua, a nonprofit, experiential oral tradition that brings history to life through interactive theater and compelling discussion that stimulates critical thinking. We believe stories should be told and histories deserve to be heard.  We're committed to bringing great communities together to celebrate culture, conversation, and critical thought. We celebrate the diversity of our culture through a variety of voices from the past because history belongs to all of us. As a non-profit dedicated to bringing history to life, our events are and always will be free, fun, and family-friendly.