GLENVILLE, W.Va. – Glenville State College’s Robert F. Kidd Library will be the site of a “History Alive!” performance featuring Walt Disney on Tuesday, November 16 at 5 p.m. The “History Alive!” program features scholars from around the state who portray historical figures.
Portrayed by James Froemel of Maidsville, West Virginia, this “History Alive!” performance will feature Walt Disney. Though his name has become synonymous with the monumentally successful company he created, a young Disney struggled to create an animation company in Chicago, Illinois and Kansas City, Missouri before moving to Los Angeles, California in 1923. After losing the rights to some of his early animated characters, he finally struck Hollywood gold with the creation of Mickey Mouse and received Academy Awards for two short films in the late 1920s and early 1930s. His ambitions in animation were finally realized with the 1937 release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which became, in its day, the highest grossing sound film of all time.
Froemel’s presentation will include a monologue from him as Disney. He will share an introduction about himself and will discuss the issues that influenced his life. That will be followed by an audience discussion portion with both Disney and another discussion session with Froemel after he “breaks character;” both give the audience an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the historical character.
The performance is free and open to the public.
“History Alive!” is a program of the West Virginia Humanities Council. For more information about the presentation, contact (304) 462-6160.
