Joyce Thierer is very good. I took her class as an undergraduate. Also, 
contact Henry Crawford at Museum of Texas Tech. He is another excellent 
resource on living history.




>From: Wood-Clark Sarah <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Living History
>Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 08:08:54 -0500
>
>Hello, Heidi,
>
>You  might contact Ann Birney and Joyce Thierer of Ride Into History  
>Cultural and Educational Project, Inc.  (RIHCEPI) in Admire, Kansas  (620) 
>528-3580 or [log in to unmask]  They have years of  expereince 
>providing first person interpretation-based programs to  schools, museums 
>other cultural groups and would have all kinds of  suggestions for you.  
>they are a great resource.
>
>Sarah Wood-Clark
>
>On Apr 16, 2007, at 1:55 PM, Heidi Wing wrote:
>
>>Hello,
>>
>>I'm looking for some help and opinions on the topic of Living  History, or 
>>first
>>person interpretations. Here's some background....
>>
>>Several years ago, we received a sizeable donation to create a  Living 
>>History
>>program for our museum. The main push of this Living History  program was 
>>the
>>idea that kids learn better through first person interpretations  and/or 
>>are more
>>engaged with dramatizations. We have found that this is successful-- in 
>>part.
>>
>>One of the results was that a performance piece was created about the
>>Underground Railroad. Actors go out to schools and perform a play  about 
>>the
>>UGRR and then take questions from the audience. This piece was most
>>successful the first few years of the project. But here we are,  several 
>>years
>>later, and not as many schools are interested. It is a bit pricey  ($600) 
>>but not
>>if you consider that 300 kids can see it at once, assembly style.   We 
>>don't
>>think that it is a grade overlap problem (for example, this year's  fifth 
>>graders
>>saw the play as third graders).
>>
>>Several of our regular classes that we offer at the museum,  including one 
>>on
>>the birth of the auto industry in Michigan and one on WWII in  Michigan, 
>>had
>>been utilizing Living History actors to portray real people to  children.
>>Essentially, their field trip would involve "meeting" a person from  the 
>>past,
>>hearing about their life, and participating in a hands-on activity.  So we 
>>have
>>used Living History both in the museum, and as an outreach tool.
>>
>>And here are the problems..... Living History is expensive. We have  
>>established
>>the habit of paying our performers a sizable fee per event, making  it all 
>>but
>>impossible for us the clear any profit on the activities (yes we  are 
>>nonprofit,
>>but as you know, we still have to bring in the money).  It is also  a 
>>matter of
>>staffing. Our education team is not comfortable in first person,  but 
>>happy in
>>third (and teachers don't seem to mind). Scheduling is difficult  when our
>>acting pool is small, and often jumps at any chance to make more  money,
>>sometimes leaving us in the lurch.
>>
>>So this is what I'm asking (in a very round about way, my  apologies). 
>>Does
>>your institution utilize Living History, or first person  interpretations? 
>>How
>>successful, or unsuccessful, are your programs? What works best?  What are
>>the challenges that you run into? Why, or why not, do you use  Living 
>>History?
>>
>>Again, apologies that this is such a long request... please help!
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Heidi Wing
>>Assistant Curator of Programs
>>Sloan Museum and Longway Planetarium
>>Flint, MI
>>[log in to unmask]
>>
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