In April 1912, the unthinkable happened. The supposedly “unsinkable” marvel of modern technology, the Titanic, struck an iceberg and sank to the cold depths.
More than 1,500 passengers and crew died. One of the survivors was Edith Russell, a fashion designer and journalist. To mark the 110th anniversary of this momentous event, the Georgetown Library will welcome Debra Conner, an accomplished living history performer. On Friday, April 8, at 2:30 p.m., Conner will present a spellbinding firsthand account of the Titanic’s fateful voyage from Russell’s vivid perspective. As a first-class passenger on the doomed ship, the flamboyant Russell required a first-class cabin for herself and a first-class cabin for her clothing. The performance will be followed by an audience Q&A session, with Conner answering both as herself and in character as Russell.
The performance is generously sponsored by S.C. Humanities and the Friends of the Georgetown Library, and is free and open to the public. The Georgetown Library is located at 405 Cleland Street.
Conner began working as a living history performer in 1997. She has performed throughout the country, including ten tours with Ohio Chautauqua, and has appeared at the Forbes Gallery in New York, the Baltimore Museum of Art and at the Margaret Mitchell Museum in Atlanta. For many years, Conner worked as an Artist-in-Residence for the Ohio Arts Council, the West Virginia Arts Commission, and as a faculty member at several colleges.