CAMP’s Fall Lecture Series Focuses on the Arts

Throughout its history, CAMP Rehoboth has been an avid supporter of the arts. This fall, a series of free lectures to be held in the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center will spotlight the Arts in a new way, with programs that explore and celebrate, in turn, Music, Painting, and Literature.

“We are very excited to be offering this lecture series to the community,” said Programs Committee Chair Glen Pruitt. “The Great Room in the Community Center is a wonderful venue for presenting programs like the ones we have planned for the fall.” This kind of lecture series is a new venture for CAMP Rehoboth, but it arose from suggestions made by many of the respondents in the survey previously conducted by the Programs Committee. “It was clear from the survey that people would like to see the Community Center be used as a  place where the community can gather. We hope these lectures will provide an opportunity for people to come to the Center, to meet other people with shared interests, to learn something new, and simply to have fun! We planned the presentations for different days of the week, even throwing in a Sunday afternoon program, to give people lots of opportunities to participate.”

The current line-up of the lecture series includes the following programs:

Sunday, September 23, 4 p.m.
Famous Women—Maria Von Trapp

We all think we know the story of Maria’s life, having seen the most popular movie musical of all time, The Sound of Music. However, do we really? Real Life is often very different from “Reel Life,” and composer/lyricist/playwright Evelyn Swenssen will be here to bring this historic woman to life. Mrs. Swenssen knows theatre, having conducted over 80 theatrical productions, including more than thirty for OperaDelaware at Wilmington’s Grand Opera House. She also knew Maria, at least briefly, having met Maria years before The Sound of Music was filmed. The presentation at CAMP Rehoboth will be a monologue describing the times in which this famous woman lived, and it includes the singing and playing of music that Maria Von Trapp loved. Mrs. Swenssen will be dressed in authentic period costuming, and her talk has been thoroughly researched to capture the personality of this beloved woman.

Tuesday, October 23, 7 p.m.
The Life and Legacy of Vincent van Gogh

The suicide of van Gogh is one of the saddest events in the annals of art history. Having sold only one painting during his lifetime, van Gogh considered himself a failure. After his death, the world recognized him for the genius that he was. Sandra Denney’s presentation focuses on the artist’s life, the evolution of his style, and his relation to his contemporaries, especially Paul Gauguin and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

Thursday, November 15, 7 p.m.
They Make Us Laugh: Humor in Literature

There is power in the written word, and Rehoboth Beach’s own Lenore Mussoff will show us that one of those powers is the ability to make us laugh. However, sometimes the laughter comes at a cost. The best writers may tickle our funny bones, but they also make us squirm as they illuminate the truth about ourselves (and it isn’t always pretty). Ms. Mussoff will use CDs and videos to present selections from a variety of writers, playwrights, and lyricists who combine humor and insight to help us laugh at ourselves. Audience participation is especially welcome during this presentation, particularly if audience members get the giggles!

All three presenters are being provided to CAMP Rehoboth through the Delaware Humanities Forum, a Wilmington-based nonprofit that has been in operation since 1973. “The humanities are all about the aspirations, values, and purposes of the community. They are also a means of uniting the past, the present, and the future. This philosophy is shared by both the Humanities Forum and by CAMP Rehoboth,” explains Glen Pruitt. “It’s all about people!”

All three presentations will be offered at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center, 37 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE. No tickets are needed for these free lectures. Seating is general admission, with the doors opening 30 minutes prior to the start of the presentation. Be sure to mark your calendars now!