VERO BEACH — In 2013, Florida celebrated its 500th anniversary, and to help commemorate this event, the Florida Humanities Council is conducting a statewide series of programs designed to engage audiences in thoughtful reflection and dialogue about our state’s rich history.
Dreamers and Schemers: An Evening with Great Floridians will be held at the Emerson Center, on the campus of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.
Through Dreamers and Schemers, audiences hear what Florida meant to some of those who helped shape its destiny. Some are native sons and daughters who strove to protect their beloved home while others came here looking for their freedom and fortune. While their motivations varied, each left their indelible mark on this great state.
Francisco Menendez early (1700s to mid-1700s) was a slave turned military leader turned privateer. He escaped enslavement in South Carolina and fled to Spanish Florida and the promise of freedom. Menendez is played by Bob Devin Jones, a veteran dramatist from Los Angeles, and co-Founder/Artistic Director of The Studio@620 in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Jacob Summerlin (1820-1893), known as “King of the Crackers,” was the first child born in Florida after the second Spanish occupation. By age 40, he had amassed a herd of over 15,000 cattle, becoming one of the richest men in Florida and influencing events in the young territory and state, Summerlin is played by Brian Shea, a theatre graduate of the University of South Florida and a professional actor for 20 years.
Ersula Knox Odom, who is an author, essayist, motivational speaker, workshop leader and a Chautauquan, portrays former South Carolinian slave Mary McLeod Bethune (1865-1955). Bethune was quick to realize the value of education and devoted her life to it. She went on to establish Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach.
Songwriter, musician, guitarist Sam Pacetti performs his wry humor through song on stage along with each portrayal, and Director Lisa Powers Tricomi, a practicing theatre artist, drama therapist will lead the concluding question-and-answer period.
Dreamers and Schemers is presented by The Emerson Center at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Vero Beach. Admission to Dreamers and Schemers is free and open to the public. No ticket is necessary.
Funding for this program is provided by the Florida Humanities Council with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The capacity of the Emerson Center is more than 800; free admission will be offered on a first-come first-served basis. The Emerson Center is handicap accessible and is conveniently located on the SE corner of 16th Street and 27th Avenue in Vero Beach. For more information, contact (772)-778-5249.
