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BILL BARKER (Thomas Jefferson) has enjoyed portraying Thomas Jefferson
in a variety of settings over the past twenty years. He first came to Williamsburg in the spring of 1993 to perform as Jefferson
in a film made to honor Ambassador and Mrs. Walter H. Annenberg. He has continued to appear as Jefferson for Colonial Williamsburg,
and assists in the development of Jefferson programs for the Foundation. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Bill's
interest in Thomas Jefferson reaches back to his youth. He enjoys researching the American world Jefferson knew with an interest
in the role the man played and continues to play in our American identity. Bill received a Bachelor of Arts, majoring
in history, from Villanova University and attended the University of Pennsylvania for a brief time. Attracted to the stage
at an early age he became a professional actor, director and producer. He was cast as Jefferson in many different venues including
the musical, 1776. Bill is the same height, weight and general appearance as Mr. Jefferson.
LEE
STETSON (John Muir) has been interpreting the character of John Muir in Yosemite National Park since 1983 to hundreds of
thousands of Park visitors. Additionally, the Muir shows have toured throughout the country to universities, parks, museums,
wilderness, and environmental organizations from Washington D.C. to Hawaii, and have been presented in Scotland, in Japan,
and Canada. Lee has produced other interpretive presentations on President Theodore Roosevelt, John Wesley Powell, and pioneer
women. Lee is interviewed and provides the voice of Muir in Ken Burn’s “The National Parks: America’s Best
Idea,” a documentary released in the fall of 2009. www.johnmuirlive.com
LARRY BOUNDS, MA (Albert Einstein)
has served as a public school educator for 23 years. He is National Board certified and currently teaches advanced English
courses at Wade Hampton High School in Greenville, SC. In 2003 he was selected as the school’s Teacher of the Year
and has also served the Greenville educational community as president of the Greenville Council of Teachers of English. When
teaching in Tennessee, he was the president of The University of Tennessee’s 500-member Phi Delta Kappa educational
association. Chautauqua audiences may remember Larry for his frequent appearances as emcee and as Harry Houdini, Ambrose
Bierce, and Gen. Wade Hampton. His earliest work bringing history to life was his recreation of an authentic Civil War era,
magic show for the Museum of East Tennessee History in the ‘90s. Subsequently he has also produced reenactments of
colonial American and Renaissance English conjurors. Larry is a member of American Mensa and the International Brotherhood
of Magicians. Since the early ‘70s Larry has also appeared on stages across the country as professional magician Larry
Crystal. For 8 years he was a featured performer for Ripley’s Believe It or Not! He has also managed magic shops in
Gatlinburg, Myrtle Beach, and Atlanta. He has earned a BA in speech and theatre and an MS in education, both from The University
of Tennessee, and holds special endorsements in speech/drama and gifted and talented education. Larry has been married for
30 years, and though his children are grown, he is still in the loving care of his wife Carole and their 2 puppies, Sweet
P and Gidget. In preparing his presentation of Albert Einstein, Larry is indebted to his kid brother John for his insights
and assistance. John Bounds has served the US government for 30 years as a nuclear physicist. |
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JOHN DOUGLAS HALL (James Madison). The parae-eminent James Madison historical interpreter in the nation, John Douglas Hall has performed as Madison for over twenty years. He began performing in Washington DC's Gaby's Tavern, an eatery in Old Town Alexandria where Madison himself once dined. In 1986, the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution approached him to portray Madison for the donation of Montpelier to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. With this initial acceptance began Hall’s career depicting our nation’s fourth President. Hall has performed nationwide as well as throughout Europe. As the official interpreter for James Madison University and Montpelier, Hall bears a strong physical resemblance to his presidential counterpart, as well as a depth of knowledge of Madison’s life and viewpoints.
CHARLES EVERETT PACE (Langston Hughes) has been a Chautauqua performer for 16 years appearing
as Malcolm X, Frederick Douglass, W.E. Dubois, and York. He was program advisor, Texas Union, University of Texas at
Austin, and has taught at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Purdue University and Centre College of Kentucky. Pace
graduated University of Texas at Austin (B.A. biology) and Purdue University (M.A. American Studies/anthropology). He
and Greenville Chautauqua Artistic Director George Frein gave the keynote address at the Presidential debate between Senators
John McCain and Barack Obama. Pace has also conducted U.S. Government Public Diplomacy Missions in 25 cities and nine
countries across Africa. His latest work is in "Creative Leadership Training for Today's Students." Pace
is a full-time Chautauqua performer/scholar living in Texarkana, Texas. His website is: www.charleseverettpace.com
GEORGE FREIN, Ph.D. (Mark Twain) taught in the Philosophy and Religion Department at the University of North Dakota from 1968 until he retired in 1997. George served as a scholar/performer for the Great Plains Chautauqua Society from 1986 to 1997, portraying Father De Smet, Henry Adams, Herman Melville, and Mark Twain. In 1998 he organized the National Chautauqua Tour which has held Chautauquas around the country. When George moved to South Carolina in 1998, he helped re-establish Chautauqua in Greenville. He also helped take Chautauqua to Asheville beginning in 2000, and now to Spartanburg. In the Carolinas, George’s characters have come to include John Adams, John Winthrop, John James Audubon, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Wilson Peale, and Dr. Seuss. George continues to perform his characters around the country in humanities Chautauquas with other scholars and also as one-man shows. George lives in Greenville with his wife Shelly Matthews, Professor of New Testament at Furman University, and their teen-age children, Nathan 17 and Alice 14.
CAROLINE McINTYRE, MA (Frances Perkins) is a thirteen year veteran of Greenville Chautauqua. She is a former history teacher, theater manager, and corporate presenter. She graduated Bucknell University with distinction and membership in Phi Alpha Theta, national history honorary society, and holds an MA from New York University, both degrees in American Studies. She recreates the roles of three of her personal heroes - Frances Perkins, Rachel Carson and Mary Draper Ingles. She weaves the stories of heroic women and, in Chautauqua fashion, inspires the audience to ask questions directly to the characters.
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Presenting Partners: Wofford College, Friends of Buncombe
Co Library, Greenville County Library System, Greenville County Museum of Art, Wade
Hampton High School, Warehouse Theatre