‘Pickett’ selected for ‘Inquiring Minds’ series

“An Evening with George Pickett,” a show created by San Juan island actor, playwright and historian Mike Vouri, has been accepted as part of the “Inquiring Minds” series sponsored by the Washington State Humanities Commission.

The show, performed at the San Juan Community Theatre every summer for seven years, will be part of the commission’s line-up for 2003 and 2004.

The “Inquiring Minds” humanities program is offered at low cost to non-profit organizations in Washington. The programs include living history characterizations such as “Pickett” and cover a wide range of topics, from music and literature to Native American culture and history.

Vouri plays General George Pickett, who recounts his life’s story, including his crucial role in the San Juan Islands Pig War of 1859 and the futile attack on the Confederates at Gettysburg known as “Pickett’s Charge.”

“Pickett was not a hero,” Vouri said. “He was an ordinary man in extraordinary times.”

Vouri said he was considering shelving the play before being notified of the Humanities Commission’s interest. “I had tried to take the show to other places but it’s hard to convince people that this wasn’t something that glorified war — it was a play, with laughter, tears and a whole life laid out in front of you. It does anything but glorify war.”

The “Inquiring Mind” presentations are often in less-than-theatrical settings such as libraries and museums, but Vouri and his musical accompanist Michael Cohen have performed in unusual places before.

“Last year we went down to Fort Steilacoom to do the show,” he said. “There were no lights, no benches or chairs. Mike and I stood in the middle of an open field and performed in front of folks sitting on blankets. We’ve done it all kinds of ways, but we prefer doing it on stage.”

A friend of Vouri’s, Lee McEnery, did the application, and he said he’ll always be grateful. “I was getting discouraged, and thought that this thing had reached its limits. This acknowledgement from the commission has renewed my commitment to the play.”

Vouri spent 18 months researching Pickett before writing “PIckett.” As an interpretive ranger at San Juan Island National Historical Park, he was surrounded by the history he was about to chronicle.

Now, after years of performing the piece for local and regional audiences, Vouri feels the show is well-tuned. “At an hour and 45 minutes, we’ve got the show down as tight as it can be,” he said.

Vouri, Cohen and the band from “Sugar On The Floor,” will perform their first “Inquiring Minds” show Nov. 3. For more information on the “Inquiring Minds” performance series, go to Inquiring Minds..

‘Fiddling Down The Oregon Trail’: An ‘Inquiring Mind’ presentation

Phil and Vivian Williams learned to love pioneer dances and music as children. Friends of San Juan Island Library and the Washington Commission for the Humanities will present the Williamses in "Fiddling Down the Oregon Trail" 7 p.m. April 10, at the San Juan Island Library.

In this lively musical presentation, Phil and Vivian Williams carry on the pioneer music tradition of the Pacific Northwest, playing how-downs, waltzes, reels and scottishes that were played after a hard day on the Trail, at dances or at home. Interwoven with the music are the stories of the Pacific Northwest. One of the instruments they play is an 1850’s fretless banjo that might have come over the Oregon Trail itself before they found it in a Northwest junk store. The presentation is free and open to the public and is suitable for elementary through adult audiences.

— Robin Hamilton is associate editor of sanjuanjournal.com and The Journal of the San Juan Islands. She reports on social issues, health care and entertainment. She can be reached at (360) 378-4191 ext. 16 or email.

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