In article <[log in to unmask]>,
  Kerridwen Harvey <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> I am interested in hearing points of view/experiences with various forms
> of living history interpretation, specifically, costumed interpretation,
> first-person, and third-person.  What type(s) does your site or museum
> use?  Why have you chosen one over the other?  What advantages do you
> see in using costumed interpreters, first-person, or third-person?   Do
> you feel the use of costumed interpreters is declining or increasing?
> How about first-person interpretation?
>
> I have been doing a fair bit of reading in this area but would like some
> human input in this research.
>
> Thanks.

I am a living history volunteer at De Soto National Memorial, in
Bradenton, Florida.  As such I ve been portraying a member of the
expedition of Hernando de Soto in La Florida c.1539, for a number of
years now as well as some more general 16th re-enactment.  What follows
are some rather disjointed thoughts on your queries.

You might want to post your questions on the soc.history.living newsgroup
and/or check  some past postings on this subject.  Over the past month so
there  has been a running thread on the nature  living history."

The Park Service hires seasonal rangers to serve as  costumed
interpreters  (NPS s preferred term) during the busy winter tourist
season (December-April). The rangers are dressed in 16th century clothing
and give formal talks 3-4 times a day.  These talks include a quick
history of the expedition, along with armor & weapons demonstrations.
These presentations last about 20 minutes and the audience's  number
about 20-70 people.  No attempt is made at first person interpretation
it's strictly park rangers in doublets and breeches talking to a
twentieth century audience.  The rangers are so understaffed that they
rarely have time to work on sixteenth century crafts performing general
camp chores during the remainder of the day.

During the other months of the year our small company living history
volunteers tries to take up the slack. During the off season we rarely
have enough of an influx of visitors to make a formal program worth
dealing with.  (In fact last month we were reduced to  placing bets on
whether or not people would visit the Spanish Camp is simply wave to us
from the comfort of their air-conditioned cars as they circled the
parking lot.)  Instead we simply work on various projects, i.e.,
map-making, repairing armor, sewing shoes, etc.  We convince people to
try on our armor,  demonstrate weapons,  practice military drills, cook
lunch, eat lunch, chase flies away.  All in a very informal camp setting.
 Although we do tire of the same questions/comments (about 90% of them) I
think that the park visitors who take the time to interact with us do get
much more of an appreciation of expeditions and life in sixteenth century
Florida then they do from the Park s twenty minute video tape.

At some events, for example the annual re-enactment of Drake s Raid 1586,
in St. Augustine every attempt is made during the battles and while
drilling to stay in character.  (Commands in Spanish for example) when it
comes to interacting with visitors one-on-one its back to the  costumed
interpreter mode  explaining what were doing and what various items of
equipment are for.



After having done the re-enactment thing for over a decade now I m
convinced that first-person interpretation should be left to the
professionals (Actors). Without a serious theatrical background ( Spanish
colonial first person ends up sounding like the frito-banditio) it's
incredibly difficult to pull off, my hats off to those who can.  Even
when done correctly, it always strikes me as a bit absurd to refuse to
break character while talking to people in T-shirts and Nikes.

As to your question,  Do you feel the use of costumed interpreters is
declining or increasing?   I get ever-more invitations requesting our
company s attendance at various  timelines  museum events throughout the
state.  Also, I fairly regularly get requests for information on  the
organizing of a 16th century re-enactment group.  So there appears to be
interest in the idea.

Best compliment I ve every received.  While our group of conquistadors
were profusely sweating in our armor during  one summer  a woman asked if
we were volunteers.  We answered in the affirmative, and she explained
that she was a museum director, (somewhere in the Northeast if I m
remembering correctly), and she realized you could never pay people to
enjoyably suffer as we were.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Timothy T. Burke
Calderon s Company, a sixteenth-century New World Garrison

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