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SOƒIA 2017
Mackenzie Davis '18, Tori Chaffee '21, Emily Krueger '21
Jadiea Muldrew '21, & Josie Welker '21
with Dr. Christine Myers
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Before cinemas were commonplace, traveling shows brought the
outside
world into small towns. Monmouth had its own contribution to this
cultural phenomenon - a magician known as the Great Nicola whose shows
included escape tricks and a disappearing elephant. Nicola toured
not
only America and Europe, but Australia, China, India, and parts of
Africa and Latin America as well. In this SOfIA project we will
study the history of early 20th-century
circuses and vaudeville from multiple perspectives. This will include
debating ethical
questions and considering the logistics of travel for entertainers a
century ago. We will also collaborate with the Warren County History
Museum who hope to locate the skeleton of Nicola's elephant in Monmouth
using ground-penetrating radar.
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