Exploring history: "Christopher Columbus' tells community the story of his journey to the "New World'

When Hank Fincken started playing the character of Christopher Columbus in 1992 -- about 500 years after the explorer is creditied for discovering the "New World" -- he noticed the audience was always shocked to see that Columbus had flaws.
"In 2011, it's a different story," Fincken said of playing the character. "Audiences are now shocked to find he has virtues."
The featured speaker of Christopher Columbus kicked off the 12th annual Ashland Chautauqua festival at Myers Memorial Band Shell.
"I know this is our 12th year of Chautauqua," said Deleasa Randall-Griffiths, "but it really feels like the first one that is truly Ashland's Chautauqua."
The theme for this year's community-funded performing arts event is "Adventures and Explorers," with Columbus, as well as the other famous explorers Teddy Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart and Francisco Pizarro.
"I come to make both you and Spain the center of the universe," Columbus promised the queen and her audience in 1492. An energetic man, he urges her highness to fund his expedition to Asia, where he will find exotic spices and other riches.
"The prize," he explains, "is for he who dares to go further."
The queen grants his wishes and history textbooks claim that just more than half a year later, Columbus and his crew landed on American soil.
The next time we see Columbus it is a year later, 1493, and he has just returned to the country of Spain after his initial voyage to the Americas, which he insists is Japan.
"We go about God's business and, therefore, we cannot fail," he explains to the queen as he argues for another expedition. It is in your country's best interest, he explains, to send more men and money to develop this "enchanted" land to its fullest potential.
His request was granted, and Columbus returns to find his land "La Navidad" in ruins with all 39 men he left there dead.
"My very name, Christopher," he said, "the Christ bearer. I cannot fail."
The third time we meet Columbus in 1496, the man who declared he could not fail is nowhere to be found. In a humble brown robe instead of his previous elaborate outfits, Columbus is barely recognizable from his former selves. Paranoid and skittish, he claims to bring proof of a promised fulfillment. The proof, he insists, is sand, which he declares will be the source of Spain's wealth soon as it contains gold."
He hides from the audience, from his doubters who call him "The Admiral of The Mosquitoes."
"Mock me if you must," he declares to his audience whom he assumes thinks the worst of him, "but doubt me never."
Ashland Chautauqua will travel to 1918 on Thursday as Chuck Chalberg portrays Theodore Roosevelt and will jump to 1936 when Elsa Wolff portrays pilot Amelia Earhart.
Fincken will return to the stage on Saturday evening playing another Spanish explorer, Francisco Pizarro.
All shows are free to the public and will begin at 8 p.m. at Myers Memorial Band Shell at Brookside Park.

source:http://www.times-gazette.com/news/article_no_comments/5065863?page=0