Dianne Moran-Historic Voices

Enduring Women of the Civil War in Missouri

Performance

Their voices could be heard from the mansions of St. Louis, the farm communities across the state and from deep within the Ozark hill country.  For four long years, during the War Between the States, the everyday women of Missouri were called into service, not as soldiers on the field of battle, but as passive volunteers fighting on the home fronts of every town across the state.  They filled every niche the men had worked before the war; serving as nurses, farmers, workers, spies, laundresses, business women and even an occasional soldier slipped into battle.  The Civil War, The Great War, The Brothers' War, became an eternal nightmare for these brave and enduring women.

In this proqram we honor specific Missouri women during the war by hearing their personal stories and in doing so we honor the thousands of Missouri men who went to war.  For, we cannot tell women's stories without revealing the bravery of their men.  Dianne Moran resurrects the past for us as she appears in Civil War dress with a table of Civil War memorabilia and a bit of music played on the Mountain Dulcimer. 4th - Adults/Character Education, History/Social Studies, Music, Theater

Workshop

The workshop begins with a first person portrayal of a St. Louis woman (Dianne in historic character) caught in the turmoil of border state war.  Dianne steps from character and asks the class basic questions as they discuss the causes and the results of the war.  Two students, a "soldier boy" and a "hooped girl,"  will volunteer to dress in the period clothing.  Each will have bags with reproduction items and relics to show the class.  The workshop concludes with the Ambrose Bierce compelling Civil War tale of "The Mockingbird."

4th-Adults/Character Education, Literature, Missouri/St. Louis History, Storytelling/Theater

Residency

The 3-day residency begins with Dianne performing a first person portrayal in historical dress.  She shares Civil War facts to prepare students for a class discussion about the causes of the war.  The second day will take an intimate look at who these Civil War era people really were and how they dealt with the horrors of war.  The class will make comparisons to our present day lives.   Students will then work in cooperative learning groups with one person in each group dressing - Yankee and Confederate soldiers, a bushwacker, a slave or a battlefield nurse and an everyday "hooped" girl.  Others will interview the period people, record their findings and report to the rest of the class.  (Printed guides will be supplied to aid the students in their interviews.)  Each group will also examine, identify and determine the use of Civil War reproductions and relics.  The final day will begin with a short review of the previous days.  Then Dianne will share another Civil War story, ask the class questions about their feelings concerning the war and answer student questions.  The program will conclude with a short lesson and handout on interviewing questions and techniques for students to use with family members about their own Civil War ancestors, WW1, WW11, Korean, Viet Nam or both Gulf Wars experiences.

4th-Adults/Character Education, Communication Arts/Literature, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, History/Social Studies, Missouri/St. Louis History, Storytelling/Theater

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