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 The live, online performances will combine period
music with conversation and narrative by President Lincoln, using
Lincoln’s own words, while illuminating Lincoln’s use of
communication as a personal and political tool. This engaging show
features Lincoln impersonator George Buss and Illinois folk musician
and folklorist Chris Vallillo. Each performance will be followed by
a Q&A with Buss and Vallillo.
The seven performances will be broadcast on the Looking for Lincoln
Facebook page and YouTube Channel in addition to the sponsoring
community’s Facebook page.
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Wednesday, July 15, 2020, Freeport, IL
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Wednesday, July 29, 2020,
Decatur, IL
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Wednesday, August 12, 2020, Ottawa, IL
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Wednesday, September 2, 2020 , Pontiac, IL
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Wednesday, September 23, 2020, Lincoln, IL
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Wednesday, October 14, 2020, Mahomet, IL
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Wednesday, December 2, 2020, Carthage, IL
“This performance provides an engaging way for
visitors to learn more about Abraham Lincoln and the work of Looking
for Lincoln and the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area in
telling that story,” said Executive Director, Sarah Watson.
This is a collaborative project involving Looking for Lincoln, Chris
Vallillo, George Buss, and key partners in the seven Looking for
Lincoln Communities.
This theatrical style performance is presented as a casual
conversation between President Lincoln and Vallillo discussing
Lincoln's gifts as a communicator and way he used those skills for
the betterment of mankind throughout his lifetime. In the midst of
the conversation, Vallillo will perform period music on guitar,
bottleneck slide Dobro, banjo and jaw harp to illustrate Lincoln’s
point and the President will quote passages from some of his
favorite speeches.
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Lincoln lived in a time when the power of mass communication was
just beginning to come of age and his mastery of those skills would play a large
role in his ultimate success as a leader. Traditional means of mass
communication like books and popular music would be augmented by the rise of the
Industrial revolution, steam powered printing presses, the telegraph,
photography and improved transportation systems like steamboats and railroads.
This online series is part of a greater slate of programming entitled Looking
for Lincoln Conversations which will run through 2020. Presentations will
feature a variety of topics surrounding the life and times of Abraham Lincoln
including performances of celebrated music, reenactments of historic events,
interpretation of historic people, and much more. During the Covid-19 event,
Looking for Lincoln has been proactively moving it’s programming online to make
it accessible to a wide audience throughout Illinois and the world. The
performances will be free to view, and broadcast on social media platforms.
Lincoln, The Great Communicator is partially supported by a grant from the
Illinois Arts Council Agency.
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The Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition is the coordinating entity for the
43-county Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. It is a partnership of
organizations and individuals dedicated to enhancing the communities and
landscapes of central Illinois through recognition and support of their
significant natural, cultural and historical legacies. Few individuals have so
profoundly influenced American history as did Abraham Lincoln. Millions around
the world are inspired by the story of Lincoln’s rise from humble beginnings to
President of the United States, his qualities of integrity and courage and his
decisive leadership – traits that carried a fragile nation through one of its
most trying periods.
For more information about the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition and the
Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, go to
www.lookingforlincoln.com.
[Looking for Lincoln Heritage
Coalition] |
