"History of Fear" Lecture Is Friday, October 6, Prior To "Evil Dead: The Musical"

Prior to the Friday, Oct. 6, performance of “Evil Dead: The Musical,” Limestone College Associate Professor of History Dr. Patricia Hoskins will present a pre-show lecture as part of Limestone’s “Reformation Reflections” series.

Hoskins’ talk is entitled “Of Monsters and Men: A Short History of Fear.” It will take place in the Rilling Hall of Fame Room, located inside the Bob Campbell Field House, starting at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

The lecture will illuminate the changing role that fear has played in society throughout the ages, and why it continues to saturate our lives today.

On Monday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m., Hoskins will deliver a talk entitled “Witchy Women: The Influence of the Reformation on Witchcraft” in Carroll Recital Hall.

“Though the idea of witches was greatly influenced by Catholicism, the Protestant Reformation kicked off a new wave of suspicion,” Dr. Hoskins said. “From the English countryside, to the Holy Roman Empire, across the Atlantic to the New World, witch-hunts dominated the minds of 16th and 17th century western society.”

Limestone College recently announced an extensive program of celebrations in the coming months to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

It has been 500 years since Martin Luther set the Reformation in motion by nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church in Germany on October 31, 1517.

As part of its series “Reformation Reflections: The First 500 Years,” Limestone will mark the anniversary with a sequence of special events and presentations during the current academic year that will commemorate the rise of the Protestant church.

The production of “Evil Dead: The Musical” will have a three-night run at Limestone College Theatre on October 5-7. Show-time each day is at 8 p.m.