2025 SEASON
2025: ANYTHING GOES: AMERICA IN THE ROARING TWENTIES
The 2025 Chautauqua theme is Anything Goes: America in the Roaring Twenties. It is the Chautauqua committee’s intention that this theme will educate, enlighten, and entertain audiences of all ages, cultures, and socio-economic demographics. All events will be free and open to the public.
Anything Goes: America in the Roaring Twenties explores the cultural significance of five characters who impacted the 1920s. We will explore this time in history through the lives of Bessie Smith, Zane Grey, Zitkala-Ša, Al Capone, and Mae West. For five days, through daily workshops and evening monologues, our audience will explore the life and times of each character. With extensive research in primary and secondary source documents, journals and diaries, scholars immerse themselves in their characters’ lives to develop a historically accurate portrayal and the knowledge to respond to audience questions.
Selene Phillips
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ZITKALA-ŠA
Doug Mishler
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AL CAPONE
David Fenimore
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ZANE GREY
Karen Vuranch
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MAE WEST
Rebecca Marks Jimerson
BESSIE SMITH
OUR EVENTS
Workshops
Performance
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Workshop:
Han! Han! (Yes! Yes! in Lakota) Beadwork, Porcupine Quills, Wild Rice, and Fancy Dancing
12:00pm
Tulsa, OK
Inside Tulsa Historical Society
There may be a tendency to think traditional Native American culture is simplistic. This workshop explores the talent and knowledge necessary to complete or create some of the more popular Native American traditions.
Workshop:
"When I Was a Cowboy": Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous Riders of the Range
5:30pm
Tulsa, OK
Inside Tulsa Historical Society
As Leadbelly’s song implies, only a minority of 19th-century “cowboys” – however the term is defined – were the type of square-jawed Anglo-American epitomized in films by Randolph Scott, John Wayne, and Clint Eastwood. Who were the real cowboys, what did they really do, and why have they been mostly erased from our national narrative?
Workshops
Performance
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Workshop:
John Ford's The Searchers: The Anatomy of a Perfect Western Film (Warts and All)
12:00pm
Tulsa, OK
Inside Tulsa Historical Society
Some of the most iconic films from the Golden Age of westerns were made by John Ford. What was this legendary director’s formula, and what does this film, considered by some his best, illustrate about the appeal and the drawbacks of the form? We’ll watch a few key scenes and ponder. (Recommended to watch or rewatch film before attending.)
Workshop:
Rocking the Foundation of "Traditional America" in the 1920s
5:30pm
Tulsa, OK
Inside Tulsa Historical Society
A balanced exploration of the major issues of the 1920s. a period when many festering social and cultural currents exploded to the surface and was met by strong fundamentalism reaction.
Workshops
Performance
Thursday, June 5, 2025
Explore the origins of blues music, tracing its path from early field hollers and work songs to the powerful genre we know today. Through lecture, songs, and discussion, we will explore the history, legends, and rich folklore of the blues. Participants will hear instrumental examples highlighting a range of styles like Piedmont, Delta and ragtime blues.
This workshop highlights the aspects of Indian reform in the 1920s including the John Collier boarding schools, the Indian Reorganization Act of the 1920s, and the 1924 Snyder Act.
Workshops
Performance
Friday, June 6, 2025
A study of how the gender roles started to morph from 1918 to 1932 (the long duration 1920s). This workshop will primarily focus on the new woman, how she developed, and the resulting impact, but also explore the neglected male roles and how they were a bit fluid during this time.
Workshop:
Vaudeville: Family Entertainment in the Early 20th Century
5:30pm
Tulsa, OK
Inside Tulsa Historical Society
In 19th century America, theatre was considered high-brow and appealed to wealthy patrons. But by the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, a new form of entertainment was offered to appeal to the working classes. This workshop will explore the rich history of Vaudeville and some of the classic entertainers that emerged from the Vaudeville stage.
Workshops
Performance
Saturday, June 7, 2025
Mae West used sexual innuendo to combat censorship in Hollywood. Throughout the 20th century and now in the 21st, censorship is more and more an issue. This workshop will address examples of extremism in censorship and will encourage a discussion about when censorship is appropriate and when it endangers freedom of speech and personal choice.
Workshop:
Visions of the African American Experience during the 1920s
5:30pm
Tulsa, OK
Inside the Tulsa Historical Society
Discover the rich literary landscape of the Harlem Renaissance by exploring the poetry of Langston Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar, James Weldon Johnson, Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, and Arna Bontemps. This workshop will explore how these poets captured the African American experience during the 1920s, discussing themes of racial identity, resilience, and cultural pride.
SCHOLARS & HISTORICAL FIGURES
Selene G. Phillips, Wabigonikewikwe, is a member of Wisconsin’s Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe. She holds a Ph.D. from Purdue University and a master’s from Indiana University’s School of Journalism. Selene teaches writing at the University of Louisville. Her award-winning poetry appears in Jelly Bucket, a journal published by Eastern Kentucky University, and in the Cultural Survival Quarterly Magazine, published by an indigenous-led NGO that advocates for Indigenous Peoples’ rights. She won the Women Who Write International Women’s Day poetry contest.
Selene has worked as a television anchor, producer, and reporter and belongs to the National Communication Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, the American Studies Association, the National Communication Association, and the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi. Phillips enjoys family and water sports, even the frozen ones.
As a Chautauqua scholar, Selene portrays Sacagawea; Mary Todd Lincoln; Chickasaw tribal leader and pilot Eula “Pearl” Carter Scott; and Yankton Sioux activist, educator, and musician Zitkála-Šá, or Gertrude Simmons Bonnin.
Zitkala-Ša (1876–1938) was a Yankton Dakota writer, composer, educator, and activist who fought for Indigenous rights. Born on the Yankton Sioux Reservation, she chronicled the struggles of Native American life in works like American Indian Stories and co-composed The Sun Dance Opera, one of the first Native American operas. Through her writing and activism, she played a crucial role in advocating for Native sovereignty and cultural preservation.
Since 1993 when he accidentally became P. T. Barnum, Doug has toured the country bringing “history to life” with a rogue’s gallery of characters. This year he gets to live out his childhood dream of becoming the tommy gun totting Big Al Capone! Doug’s characters are diverse and include Nikita Khrushchev, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernie Pyle, and even Pablo Picasso. Doug has made over 800 presentations including Henry Ford, Jackson Pollock, and recently added Sir Ernest Shackleton, Chuck Yeager, Gene Roddenberry, and Earl Warren. Yes, you’re correct, Doug hears voices, but only 30 of them are actually historical characters—the others we don’t talk about. He is also the founder & Managing Artistic Director of Restless Artists’ Theatre in Reno and taught American cultural history for over 23 years. And no, he does not have a real job!
Al Capone (1899–1947) was a notorious American gangster and the leader of the Chicago Outfit during Prohibition. Infamous for his involvement in organized crime, bootlegging, and the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, he was eventually convicted of tax evasion in 1931. Despite his ruthless reputation, he was known for charitable gestures and flamboyant public image, becoming one of the most infamous figures in American crime history.
David Fenimore retired in 2020 from the University of Nevada, Reno English Department after 32 years teaching literature, writing, and the humanities. Since 1993 he has traveled the US performing first-person portrayals of historical characters including Woody Guthrie, Horace Greeley, California settler Capt. John Sutter, Donner Party survivor Lewis Keseberg, and of course, Zane Grey. He spends his free time writing, traveling, pursuing outdoor activities, and playing the piano about as well as Woody played the guitar, which is to say, adequately, at best.
Zane Grey (1872–1939) was an American author best known for his adventure-packed Western novels, which helped define the genre. His works, including Riders of the Purple Sage, romanticized frontier life and inspired countless films and adaptations. A former dentist turned full-time writer, Grey’s vivid storytelling and deep appreciation for the American West cemented his legacy as a pioneer of Western fiction.
Karen Vuranch is no stranger to Oklahoma audiences. She is an actor, storyteller, historian, and writer. Using solid historical research, she has created a number of memorable characters for Oklahoma Chautauqua. Karen has brought us author Pearl Buck; humanitarian Clara Barton; 16th century Irish pirate Grace O’Malley; Wild West outlaw Belle Star; the First Lady of Food, Julia Child; Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons; American literary giant Edith Wharton; archaeologist Gertrude Bell; and 1960s pop star Cass Elliot. Karen has toured internationally with Coal Camp Memories. Based on oral history, Coal Camp Memories is the chronicle of a woman’s experience in the Appalachian coalfields. Karen is also a traditional storyteller and participated in the Nu Wa Storytelling Exchange to China. She retired from the faculty at Concord University in 2021. Karen has an undergraduate degree from Ashland University in Theatre and Sociology and an M.A. in Humanities from Marshall University.
Mae West (1893–1980) was an American actress, singer, playwright, and sex symbol known for her sharp wit and provocative humor. Rising to fame in vaudeville and Broadway before transitioning to Hollywood, she starred in films like She Done Him Wrong and I’m No Angel, pushing the boundaries of censorship with her bold persona. Her iconic one-liners and unapologetic confidence made her a trailblazer for women in entertainment.
Rebecca graduated from the historical Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She attended University of Southern California under the tutelage of the late John Houseman, who served as Dean of the BFA program, as well as the late actor and playwright George Furth. She cowrote the play Resurrecting Black Wall Street, based loosely on the life of Lessie Benningfield Randle, one of the two last known Race Massacre Survivors. Rebecca also established the Resurrecting Black Wall Street Historical Black Colleges lectures. Her Chautauqua performances have taken her to Cape Town, South Africa, portraying Winnie Mandela for a remembrance ceremony for the Federation of South Africa Women Anti-Apartheid Movement by Apostolic Faith Missionaries; to Galveston, Texas, for her annual performance as Harriet Tubman for the Juneteenth celebration at the historic Ashton Villa; and to Keene, New Hampshire, as Ida B. Wells in “Speakers of the Truth.”
Rebecca is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts and Oklahoma State University with a Master of Science. At present she is a Professor/Curriculum Developer in Mass Communications and Criminal Justice at Southern Nazarene University. Rebecca is also the Community Engagement Liaison for the Tulsa County Sheriff’s office.
Bessie Smith (1894–1937) was an American blues singer known as the “Empress of the Blues.” One of the most influential vocalists of the early 20th century, she brought raw emotion and powerful storytelling to her music, shaping the future of blues and jazz. Rising to fame in the 1920s, she recorded hits like Downhearted Blues and Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out, captivating audiences with her deep, soulful voice. Despite personal and financial struggles, her legacy endures as a trailblazer for future generations of musicians.