This summer, voices from a century ago will step forward and speak to area residents at the College of Southern Maryland during the annual Chautauqua Series, July 11 to 13.

Those voices will be from the Great War, as this year’s series commemorates the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War I. Three key figures from 1917 will be portrayed at the outdoor, evening events — W.E.B. Du Bois, General John Pershing and President Woodrow Wilson.
Du Bois, a sociologist and scholar, was one of the most important African-American activists of the early 20th century. He will be portrayed by Bill Grimmette, a living history interpreter, storyteller, actor and motivational speaker who has appeared as Martin Luther King, Jr., Du Bois, Frederick Douglass and Benjamin Banneker at Chautauquas in Maryland, Colorado and South Carolina and at schools in the Northern Marianas.

Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force on the Western Front in World War I, was one of America’s most accomplished generals. He will be portrayed by Doug Mishler, an independent scholar who has taught at the University of Nevada and Western Washington University and has appeared at Maryland Humanities Chautauqua as P.T. Barnum, Theodore Roosevelt, William Lloyd Garrison, Henry Ford and Upton Sinclair.
Wilson, a leader of the Progressive Movement, was the 28th President of the United States. He will be portrayed by Judd Bankert, who has been portraying President Wilson as part of the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Birthplace’s living-history program since 2000.

The annual Chautauqua program is an interactive, family-friendly presentation designed to bring history to life. It is an educational program of Maryland Humanities presented in partnership with CSM. CSM is one of seven sites selected to offer the program this summer.

Maryland Humanities is a statewide, educational nonprofit organization that creates and supports educational experiences in the humanities that inspire all Marylanders to embrace lifelong learning, exchange ideas openly and enrich their communities.

Old Line Bank also is a sponsor of the CSM Chautauqua Series.

The Chautauqua series will be presented outdoors at CSM on the La Plata Campus Fine Arts Center (FA Building) lawn starting at 6:45 p.m. each night. Audience members are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket as well as food or beverages (no alcohol permitted). In the event of rain, performances will move indoors to the Fine Arts Center.

Each evening will open with music, followed by presentations by the Chautauquans with an opportunity for questions and answers. For information on Chautauqua, visit http://www.mdhumanities.org/programs/chautauqua. For more on the CSM Chautauqua presentation, visit http://www.csmd.edu/community/the-arts/special-events/chautauqua/.