The Chautauqua Festival – a week of notable history and dramatic storytelling – began in Norfolk Wednesday, and this year, some of the area’s youngest storytellers will be charged with conjuring up the past.

Historic Nebraska Figures Take The Stage At Chautauqua.

Joyce Thierer, a historian with Ride Into History, leads a youth workshop in advance of the Chautauqua Festival in Norfolk, Nebraska. (Photo by Robyn Murray for NET News).

“Chautauqua” is a form of storytelling that was popular in the 1800s. It’s live reenactment. Scholars and actors embody historic figures, share their stories, and take questions from the community. In Norfolk this year, professionals will perform as notable Nebraska figures like Willa Cather and Ponca Chief Standing Bear. But these young storytellers will bring to life some of the state’s more obscure figures.

The Chautauqua Festival continues in Norfolk through Sunday and then picks up in Scottsbluff/Gering on June 25. The youth performers take the stage in Norfolk on Friday.

To read more, please click the link:http://netnebraska.org/article/news/922737/historic-nebraska-figures-take-stage-chautauqua