About the Performance
Robert Kennedy's 1968 run for the presidency lasted a mere 82 days but it was a torrent of travel, engagement and intensity few campaigns have seen since. Robert set out to engage the public on the issues of the times he felt were moral obligation: “Poverty in this country is indecent. Illiteracy in this country is indecent.” He spoke out against the war in Vietnam as well as division and rioting at home; he challenged crowds to find in themselves moral courage in uncertain times.
In this solo performance, Jeremy Meier portrays the candidate on the campaign trail in ’68 and features insights on the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Civil Rights Movement and the impact the Kennedy name had on Robert’s world view. It is followed by an interactive question and answer session.
About the Artist
Jeremy Meier serves as the Chair of Fine and Performing Arts at Owens Community College in Northwest Ohio. He has taught acting at both Central Michigan University and Owens and has directed nineteen student productions at the school including Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet as well as adapted and directed texts for the stage, including Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell.
In addition to his portrayal of RFK, Meier has created original solo performances for the Ohio Humanities on John Dillinger and Oliver Hazard Perry. In 2016, Meier was awarded a grant by Ohio Humanities to pilot the state’s first Chautauqua Training Program for new scholars learning to develop original performances based on historical figures.