2008 Woodie Awards
Discovery Walk brings history to life
Matthew Wendling, Daily Vidette Staff Writer
Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: News
The Bloomington-Normal community will have the opportunity to come face-to-face with their own history this fall. The Evergreen Memorial Cemetery Discovery Walk plunges residents into the past.
Held on October 4, 5, 11 and 12 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., the scenic mile-long guided walk through Evergreen Memorial Cemetery features a cast of professional actors who portray the historical figures buried in the cemetery. The actors are positioned close to the graves of those they are portraying.
"We want to capture the essence of the person so that it is truly a dramatic presentation," Judy Brown, artistic director of Illinois Voices Theater, said. "We're essentially storytellers in the guise of professional actors."
"Between the guide and the actor, you … get a good sense of the entire person's life and why they were important," Candace Summers, director of education at the McLean County Museum of History, said.
Illinois Voices Theater and the McLean County Museum of History have teamed up to make this event a reality. A team of volunteers worked for more than 1,000 hours gathering research and information on a selection of individuals buried in the cemetery.
This information was passed on to Illinois Voices, which assembled a script and held casting calls for actors to portray these people. The actors will then relay their stories to visitors.
"If you're new to this community and want to know about this community, you can learn some history that way," Summers said. "Even if you've lived here for your whole life it's a great way to learn a little more that you didn't know."
The process of selecting the figures that will be portrayed is extensive. According to Brown, a wide variety of factors including importance to the community and cultural diversity are used to determine who will appear in the annual walk.
However, she was quick to emphasize that every person buried in Evergreen Memorial is a candidate.
"We get people from all walks of life," Summers said. "Infamous, famous, loved, hated, unknown and known, it's really a good variety of people."
Many of the cast members and scriptwriters are associated with the university.
"We have a lot of ISU alumni involved with this event," Summers said. "We have actors that are alumni and teachers at ISU."
"We just want to encourage the students of ISU to come out and learn a little more history about the community they are going to school in."Tickets to the event cost $14 for those who are not McLean County Historical Society members, $12 for members and $4 for students.
Those who purchased tickets before Oct. 3 received a $2 discount.
Held on October 4, 5, 11 and 12 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., the scenic mile-long guided walk through Evergreen Memorial Cemetery features a cast of professional actors who portray the historical figures buried in the cemetery. The actors are positioned close to the graves of those they are portraying.
"We want to capture the essence of the person so that it is truly a dramatic presentation," Judy Brown, artistic director of Illinois Voices Theater, said. "We're essentially storytellers in the guise of professional actors."
"Between the guide and the actor, you … get a good sense of the entire person's life and why they were important," Candace Summers, director of education at the McLean County Museum of History, said.
Illinois Voices Theater and the McLean County Museum of History have teamed up to make this event a reality. A team of volunteers worked for more than 1,000 hours gathering research and information on a selection of individuals buried in the cemetery.
This information was passed on to Illinois Voices, which assembled a script and held casting calls for actors to portray these people. The actors will then relay their stories to visitors.
"If you're new to this community and want to know about this community, you can learn some history that way," Summers said. "Even if you've lived here for your whole life it's a great way to learn a little more that you didn't know."
The process of selecting the figures that will be portrayed is extensive. According to Brown, a wide variety of factors including importance to the community and cultural diversity are used to determine who will appear in the annual walk.
However, she was quick to emphasize that every person buried in Evergreen Memorial is a candidate.
"We get people from all walks of life," Summers said. "Infamous, famous, loved, hated, unknown and known, it's really a good variety of people."
Many of the cast members and scriptwriters are associated with the university.
"We have a lot of ISU alumni involved with this event," Summers said. "We have actors that are alumni and teachers at ISU."
"We just want to encourage the students of ISU to come out and learn a little more history about the community they are going to school in."Tickets to the event cost $14 for those who are not McLean County Historical Society members, $12 for members and $4 for students.
Those who purchased tickets before Oct. 3 received a $2 discount.
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