The Museum on Main invites you to the 2025 Ed Kinney series, "An Afternoon or Evening With ..." This series is a monthly program of historical character portrayals and speakers. Many of the speakers in the series are Chautauquans, a type of historical character performance originating in Chautauqua, New York. The Chautauquan is in character from the moment they step onto the stage, through a question and answer portion, and finally will step out of character to answer questions that the historic character they portray could not address. Museum on Main’s annual series is named in honor of former Pleasanton Mayor Ed Kinney.

Event Details

This year, the museum is offering virtual viewings and in-person performances at the Firehouse Arts Center, 603 Main Street, Pleasanton with shows at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm. Virtual Viewing ticket holders will be emailed a link to watch the recording, one week after the in-person live performance and may access the recording using an “On Demand” webinar format. Participants can watch the recording on the day of the virtual viewing at any time that is convenient. The live in-person performance schedule is as follows:

• An Afternoon or Evening with ... ​ ​General George S. Patton
  February 27th / Virtual Viewing March 6th
  General George S. Patton Jr. was at once an iconoclast, a visionary, a rebel, and a controversial figure. While no one individual won the war, he played a vital part in helping the United States Army win the Second World War in Europe. Hear Patton’s point of view when James Armstead portrays the general.

• An Afternoon or Evening with ... Charlie Chaplin
  March 27th / Virtual Viewing April 3rd
  Chaplin was publicly advocating US support for Russia in a second front against Germany. J. Edgar Hoover, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), and the gossip columnists were all paying attention. The once beloved “Little Fellow” now found his reputation assailed and his allegiances questioned. How would he respond? Jeremy Meier brings Chaplin to the stage.

• An Afternoon or Evening with ... ​Calamity Jane
  Aptil 17th / Virtual Viewing April 24th
  Calamity Jane could drive a team of mules as well as any man. Her bullwhacking skills were invaluable to several scouting expeditions, along with her skills with a rifle and a six-shooter. Calamity could also out-drink and out-cuss any man alive, keeping many a saloon keeper in business. Kim Harris will bring to life the real Calamity Jane, portraying her not only as a genuine “dime novel heroine,” but also as a real living human being, with dreams sometimes realized and sometimes lost.

• An Afternoon or Evening with ... ​​Mae West
  May 8th / Virtual Viewing May 15th
  “Why don’t you come up and see me sometime.” Most know this invitation from Mae West, one of the most celebrated figures in American popular culture. Using well-planned innuendos, she fought the censorship of the 1930s and continued to startle and enchant audiences well into the 1970s. So, “come up and see” Karen Vuranch’s portrayal of the American legend, Mae West.

• An Afternoon or Evening with ... Mary Todd Lincoln
  June 5th / Virtual Viewing June 12th
  Mary Todd Lincoln lived a life filled with triumphs and tragedies, but few people know her story today. Librarian Laura Keyes will share Mary’s story in an entertaining and educational program entitled “Mrs. Lincoln: The First 'First Lady'” focusing on the life and losses of Mrs. Lincoln, set on April 14th, 1865. This program depicts an extraordinarily important time in our nation’s history from a point of view that is not often explored.

• An Afternoon or Evening with ... Lucille Ball
  August 7th / Virtual Viewing August 14th 
  In the 1950s, comedienne Lucille Ball captured the hearts of television audiences across the nation with her wacky hijinks and fearless enthusiasm. Off-screen, she and her real-life husband Desi Arnaz launched their own television studio. Historian and actress Leslie Goddard brings Lucille to life, paying tribute to both the true comic legend and the real woman behind the myth.

• An Afternoon or Evening with ... ​Al Capone
  September 18th / Virtual Viewing September 25th
  Capone’s brief but bloody story is a flamboyant slice of American history, as Al dominated the social and cultural narrative of Chicago and the nation during prohibition. Capone always maintained that he was not really a criminal, he was just a businessman who supplied the booze Americans wanted. Visit Doug Mishler’s Al Capone, and learn all about his career in old Chicago during the roaring 1920s.

• An Afternoon or Evening with ... ​Edgar Allan Poe
  October 9th
  In The Shadow of the Raven begins as Edgar Allan Poe rises from the scene of his mysterious death and continues as he pieces together the events of his life. Using a combination of biographical information and the dramatic interpretation of Poe’s literature, Duffy Hudson provides a unique, in-depth theatrical experience of the life and works of one of America’s best-known and enigmatic personalities.

• An Afternoon or Evening with ... Bessie Smith
  November 20th / Virtual Viewing December 4th
  Bessie Smith referred to as the "Empress of the Blues,” became the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s. Becoming one of the highest-paid black performers of her era, she broke through the boundaries imposed by a racially segregated society. Her voice, a beacon of emotional depth, did not just shape the blues.Influencing blues and jazz artists of the Harlem Renaissance era including Louis Armstrong. Smith's success in the music industry challenged racial barriers. Rebecca Jimerson will portray Smith.

Ticketing

Tickets are $15 for Firehouse Art Center members and are on sale at www.paybee.io/quickpay.html?handle=mom&ppid=42#optionList. General Admission tickets are $25 and may be purchased at  www.museumonmain.org/ed-kinney-series-an-evening-with.html.

Additional Information

Additional information on this event is available. For details, please refer to the Museum on Main representative below.

Contact Information

Sara Schaefer
Museum on Main
603 Main Street, Pleasanton, California  94566
(925) 462-2766 phone
education@musuemonmain.org e-mail     www.museumonmain.org WWW

Hacienda Owners Association
4305 Hacienda Drive, Suite 330, Pleasanton, California  94588-2738
(925) 734-6500 phone     (925) 734-6501 fax
info@hacienda.org e-mail     www.hacienda.org WWW