Historic Voices
First Ladies Forum
Four of the nation’s leading historical interpreters have come together to launch a new initiative, First Ladies Forum, aimed at helping organizations looking for outstanding virtual history performances. Read our Press Release.
The new collaboration allows organizations seeking dynamic, engaging, and informative programs to book four of the nation’s best portrayal artists while leveraging virtual Zoom technology. To celebrate the launch, the forum is offering a four-part series of one-hour performances, each featuring a different First Lady: Dolley Madison (portrayed by Judith Kalaora), Louisa Catherine Adams (portrayed by Laura Rocklyn), Mary Lincoln (portrayed by Laura Keyes), and Jacqueline Kennedy (portrayed by Leslie Goddard).
Leslie Goddard, Ph.D., is an award-winning scholar and actress who has been portraying famous women in history and lecturing on topics in American history for more than twenty years. A former museum director, she is a lifetime resident of the Chicago area and currently works full-time as a public speaker, actress and author.
The Presenters
Judith Kalaora is the Founder and Artistic Director of History At Play, LLC. Founded in 2010, HAP, LLC chronicles the lives of influential and often forgotten figures. Kalaora is a professional educator, award-winning playwright, and living historian. Kalaora graduated Syracuse University Magna cum Laude.
Laura Keyes
Laura Keyes graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Master’s Degree in Library Studies, and is Director of the Dunlap Public Library. Laura is a lifetime member of the Association of Lincoln Presenters, and in 2017 won the Mary Todd Lincoln Oratory Contest at the Lincoln Days celebration in Hodgenville, KY.
Laura Rocklyn
Laura Rocklyn has worked as a first person historical interpreter at museums up and down the East Coast, and has performed with theaters across the country. She is a museum educator at the Paul Revere House Museum, a Troupe Member with History At Play, and an Associate Company Member with Chesapeake Shakespeare Company.
First Ladies Forum 2022 Virtual Summer Series, sponsored by History At Play™, LLC,