Kevin Stonerock's
Living History
"History
In The Present Tense"
Since 1980, with well over
3,000 performances to his credit, Kevin has brought history to
life for thousands of young people and adults. In addition to
hundreds of schools and libraries, he has performed for organizations
as diverse as The Indiana Historical Society, The Kentucky Historical
Society, Midwest Civil War Round Table, Sons of Union Veterans,
Indiana State Museum, Mayflower Society, Indiana Convention of
Home Educators, The University of Indianapolis, Northern Kentucky
University and The Feast of the Hunter's Moon. Kevin has the unique
ability to connect with young and old in a captivating manner
that leaves them eager to learn more.
All of the living history
programs are performed in authentic period clothing with proper
accouterments in first-person style. A high degree of historic
authenticity has been achieved as a result of hours of research
and attention to detail and dialect. The programs are not dry
lectures, but both informative and entertaining.
Indiana Social Studies Teachers:
Kevin's programs meet several of the Indiana Academic
Standards for Social Studies.
For more information, click
here.
The Programs
A Visit With A Hoosier Pioneer
The Hoosier Pioneer is a character compiled
from several different accounts of the period 1770-1810. The program
centers around the life of Andrew Amonett, a true-to-life frontiersman
of the Indiana Territory. The presentation, complete with tall
tales, deals with various aspects of frontier life and dangers
faced in the Indiana Territory just prior to the War of 1812.
Topics include trapping, militia service, Indian affairs, tools,
weapons and frontier clothing. The program is best suited for
grades 3-6, but also works well with adult audiences and family
groups.
Billy Yank-Common Soldier For the Union
The program "Billy Yank" concerns
an actual soldier from Henry County, Indiana named William H.
Fentress. The presentation is set in the year 1864 with a battle-weary
Fentress home on leave from the Union Army. Although the character
portrayed was a real individual, much of the presentation deals
with issues or items which would have been common to most northern
soldiers of the Civil War. These include camp life, battlefield
experiences, army humor, food, equipment, music, weapons, uniforms
and the home front. The program objective is to bring the audience
as close as they will ever come to visiting with a real veteran
of the War Between The States and to give them a better understanding
of the men who wore the blue. Appropriate for grades 4 through
adult, the program is tailored to meet the needs of each specific
audience.
A Visit
With A Fur Trader
The "Fur Trader" is a true-to-life
character compiled from a variety of fur trade sources. The trader,
a Scotsman named Jacob McLinden, takes the audience on a journey
from Montreal to the Indian Country and through a year in the
fur trade in the mid 1700's. He familiarizes them with many trade
goods, fur bearing animals, voyageur life, fur trade vocabulary,
music and the ways of Indians and traders. Best suited to audiences
of 200 or less. Appropriate for grades 4 through adult.
Photo: Sarah Middleton
New for 2007 - Stephen Hopkins, A Pilgrim
of Plymouth
In 2006, Kevin was contracted by the
Indiana Society of Mayflower Descendants to research, write and
perform a first-person living history characterization of a "pilgrim"
(a term which only gained wide usage many years after their arrival
in New England). Hopkins was one of the original passengers who
traveled to Plymouth aboard the Mayflower. Set in the late 1620's,
Stonerock, as Hopkins, recounts his experiences prior to leaving
England, reasons for leaving, the arduous Atlantic crossing, landing
on the shores of Cape Cod, their ultimate settlement in what came
to be known as Plymouth and the events that followed, including
that first winter and some of their encounters with the Native
peoples. The program's objective is to give the audience a truer
appreciation for the obstacles that were faced and overcome and
to de-bunk some of the commonly accepted myths which have come
to be associated with those amazing people we know as "pilgrims".
The Mayflower Society is offering a
limited number of grants each year to Indiana schools in order
to partially fund this program. E-mail for more information.
As a school performance, the program
is best suited for grade 5. Specifically, the program meets several
of the Indiana academic standards for social studies for grade
5 (see "standards").
Civil War History Through Song
Designed for the classroom and smaller
size groups, Civil War songs are used as a springboard into a
wide variety of topics concerning the period 1861-65. The audience
is drawn into discussion as well as asked to join in on some of
the songs. The program is designed primarily for grades 4 through
8 and works well in combination with Billy Yank. Write for information
concerning appropriate audience size and fees.
The Steamboat's A Comin'!
(not available for school
performances...but perfect for libraries, corporate events and
the like!)
A grand adventure of story, song and
first person living history about life on the Ohio River from
the frontier era through the glorious age of steam, with special
emphasis on the showboats. In addition to song and story, the
audience will meet four rollicking river characters (portrayed
by Kevin), including a keelboat man, a steamboat passenger on
the J. M. White, a showboat barker from the 1890's and steamboat
captain Ebenezer Cline. Appropriate for all ages, but especially
suited to adult audiences. E-mail for price and availability.
Photo: Sarah Middleton
Home Biography Reviews Merchandise Living History Past Participants Photos Bookings
Itinerary Demo & Production Services Friends Contact Kevin