2022 Chautauqua: Surviving the Sixties: Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll

Schedule of Workshops and Evening Performances

10:00 am & 2:00 pm workshops at Museum of the Great Plains, 601 N Ferris Ave, Lawton, OK

7:00 pm performances at City Hall Auditorium, 212 SW 9th Street, Lawton, OK

Tuesday, June 21

• Workshop: 10:00-11:00 am – Museum of the Great Plains

Lennon Meditates by Randy Noojin: Take a look at the characters, stories, and songs related to Lennon and the Beatles; spend a month in India meditating with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

• Workshop: 2:00-3:00 pm - Museum of the Great Plains

Musical Theatre in the Sixties by John Dennis Anderson: The 1966 musical Cabaret adapted Isherwood’s Berlin Stories changed the American musical theatre. Explore how musicals adapted to cultural trends in the Sixties.

• Performance: 7:00-8:30 pm – City Hall

Poet of the Beats ALLEN GINSBERG by Joey Madia

Wednesday, June 22

• Workshop: 10:00-11:00 am – Museum of the Great Plains

The Times They Are a Changin’: Poetry & Music as Social Commentary by Joey Madia: Explore Ginsberg’s major works, Howl, America, and Kadish. Compare and contrast him Whitman, William Carlos Williams, and the Beat Poets Kerouac and Corso.

• Workshop: 2:00-3:00 pm - Museum of the Great Plains

We Will Rock You by Karen Vuranch: The growth of rock ‘n roll music from its roots in the folk music scene, the influence of California surf sound and the transition from pop music to rock. Explore iconic songs and their lyrics.

• Performance: 7:00-8:30 pm – City Hall

A Single Man CHRISTOPHER ISHERWOOD by Dr. John Dennis Anderson

Thursday, June 23

• Workshop: 10:00-11:00 am – Museum of the Great Plains

The Path to the Gay Liberation Movement by John Dennis Anderson: Explore the more conservative approach to gay liberation favored by Isherwood in the decade leading up to the Stonewall Riots (1969).

• Workshop: 2:00-3:00 pm - Museum of the Great Plains

LSD and Religion—mysticism or mirage? by Ted Kachel: Explore issues of religion and the religious use of psychedelic drugs. Examine viewpoints on religion and psychedelic drugs (medical research, shamanism)

• Performance: 7:00-8:30 pm – City Hall

Rock ‘n’ Roll Mama CASS ELLIOT by Karen Vuranch

Friday, June 24

• Workshop: 10:00-11:00 am – Museum of the Great Plains

Make Your Own Kind of Music by Karen Vuranch: Influence of other groups on Cass’s music and The Mamas and The Papas’ music. Her transition from folk to rock and the effect of Broadway.

• Workshop: 2:00-3:00 pm - Museum of the Great Plains

John’s Two-Year Lost Weekend by Randy Noojin: John’s separation from Yoko and the dramatic reunion. The birth of Sean soon after the reunion with Yoko; issuance of John’s Green Card.

• Performance: 7:00-8:30 pm – City Hall

Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out TIMOTHY LEARY by Dr. Ted Kachel

Saturday, June 25

• Workshop: 10:00-11:00 am – Museum of the Great Plains

Leary and his Ladies—from suicide to stability? by Ted Kachel: How did each of Leary’s 5 wives portray Leary? What was consistent and what changed in relationships with women over the course of his long life?

• Workshop: 2:00-3:00 pm - Museum of the Great Plains

The ‘60s Counterculture and MKUltra by Joey Madia: Hoover's FBI spy network, infiltrated Haight-Ashbury and Black Panthers; Nixon's Paranoia; clandestine drug experiments; harassment of entertainers.

• Performance: 7:00-8:30 pm – City Hall

The Rebellious Beatle JOHN LENNON by Randy Noojin