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Hear her story in her own words. Josephine Baker never let reality hold her back. Growing up in the black ghetto of St. Louis, she memorized every song, dance and skit she saw at the local theater. She practiced and performed for family and friends. In 1925 at age 19, she was cast in “La Revue Negre”, leaving American behind to travel to Paris, France. She never lived in the U.S. again. She found acclaim, fame, and fortune in Europe and was welcomed and celebrated around the globe, but she could not accept the racism at home in America and lived the life of an expat.
Becky Stone (Josephine Baker)
Becky Stone grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before going to Vassar College and earning a degree in Drama. After obtaining her M.A. in Elementary Educational Counseling from Villanova University, Becky worked seven years as an elementary and middle school counselor in the Philadelphia School System. In North Carolina, she taught drama for ten years at a Christian classical school. Her performance experience includes acting professionally in regional theater companies and storytelling in schools, universities, museums, festivals, camps and libraries. She presented her first Chautauqua character, Pauli Murray, in 2003 for the Greenville Chautauqua. Becky has since developed performances for Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Maya Angelou, and Stagecoach Mary Fields.
Based in Greenville, SC, Chautauqua History Comes Alive is interactive theater and the performances offer an astonishing journey into the past allowing the audience to hear stories of the characters in their own words. This year’s character performances are Erma Bombeck (Saturday, June 7); Babe Ruth (Tuesday, June 10); Josephine Baker (Thursday, June 12); Lucille Ball (Saturday, June 14); and Albert Einstein (Tuesday, June 17). Doors open one hour before show, seating is first come, first served. The Chautauqua Festival at the Transylvania County Library is made possible by the generous support of the Friends of the Library.
