Chautauqua presents ‘Julia Child Bon Appétit!’ Feb. 11-13
Chautauqua has cooked up a winter event featuring legendary chef Julia Child to stir the Upstate’s passion for food and make us laugh with performances in Fountain Inn and Greenville, Feb. 11-13.
Julia Child will be performed by Karen Vuranch, nationally acclaimed historical interpreter and Theater Director at Concord University. Sure to make you laugh, attendees will learn how a six-foot-two, 50-year-old woman with a squeaky voice became the first educational TV star. (Her show “The French Chef” was the first public TV show to win an Emmy.)
Karen Vuranch as Julia Child.
Chautauqua is a nonprofit, experiential oral tradition that brings history to life through interactive theater and compelling discussion. Julia Child kicks off the 2022 Chautauqua theme of “Challenge: Accepted!”
The Julia Child shows are free, however, registration is required to ensure safe social distancing for the popular Winter Chautauqua shows. Registration for these shows is available at HistoryComesAlive.org.
“Julia Child challenged the way Americans prepared and enjoyed food, Vuranch said. “She brought a generation out of the TV dinner/jello-salad ‘mold’ and into the world of Mastering the Art of French Cooking with a joie de vivre that was infectious. How could I not want to perform as Julia!”
As always at Chautauqua, the audience will be a part of the show. The Chautauqua performance takes the audience to another time with a 30- to 40-minute performance, followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience and Julia. After that, Vuranch will break character and answer audience questions as an expert on Julia Child.
“The audience is as much of the show as the performer,” says Caroline McIntyre, Greenville Chautauqua administrator and performer. “Often the greatest insights come from the interaction of the audience with these characters.”
As Julia, Vuranch weaves together a love of history, a passion for stories and a sense of community. She has been a Chautauqua scholar, actor and storyteller for more than 30 years and has toured nationally and internationally. She teaches at Concord University in West Virginia, where she is the Director of the Theatre Department.
Want to attend?
Friday, February 11, 10 – 11:30 a.m. & 2 – 3:30 p.m., Younts Center for the Performing Arts, 315 N. Main Street, Fountain Inn, SC 29644. Admission is Free. Registration required: HistoryComesAlive.org.
Saturday, February 12, 2 – 3:30 p.m., Wade Hampton High School Auditorium, 100 Pine Knoll Drive, Greenville, SC 29609. Admission is Free. Registration required: HistoryComesAlive.org.
Sunday, February 13, 2 – 3:30 p.m., Wade Hampton High School Auditorium, 100 Pine Knoll Dr, Greenville, SC 29609. Admission is Free. Registration required: HistoryComesAlive.org.
