Jack Langrishe and Marietta Ravel lit up the American West with stories, plays, and tightrope acts. Yesterado reimagines Jack and Marietta as sort of a goofy, time-travel welcome wagon committee - they're Lucy and Ethel of the 1890's, hoping their motion picture invention will take you back in time and give you some glimpses of Colorado as it once was.
Enjoy free access to Yesterado: A Colorado Comedy-History-Motion-Picture Invention. This video, written and performed by Jessica Robblee and Mitch Slevc, uses a lighthearted lens to bring history, as told through actual newspaper articles from 1897, to life. Colorful characters portrayed in Yesterado include Soapy Smith, a notorious con-artist, Margaret (Molly) Brown, a Denver socialite and philanthropist who survived the sinking of the Titanic, as well as “America’s Greatest Cyclienne,” Dora Rinehart who helped change the way we look at women’s rights and women’s wardrobes. Yesterado is about 60 minutes long.
Conceived and produced for children, Yesterado is a light-hearted look at history. As we take this journey back in time, it is important to state that this production covers merely a small slice of our history. Prior to colonization, we acknowledge that this land was occupied by hundreds of Indigenous peoples of the Ute, Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho nations as well as countless other tribal groups. We also acknowledge that this colonization process often included harsh and violent mistreatment towards these original inhabitants.
The Arvada Center acknowledges this land, its history, and the Indigenous people that continue to reside in our region. To learn more about our commitment to acknowledge the past, present, and future of these lands, please read our Land Acknowledgement.
Signing up for the video includes a link to a thirty-seven-page study guide that includes pre and post viewing discussion questions, photos, historical information, links to source materials and fun activities. This study guide will allow you and your students to take a deeper dive into Colorado History.
Through generous sponsor support, we're able to provide this performance for free. Please do not share this link with other educators, or anyone else. If you know of someone else who would enjoy Yesterado, please have them contact Emily Lindvall at elindvall@arvadacenter.org.
Support for this project provided by: