> Here it is: The critique said are they actors or reenactors?
> I have used actor as opposed to reneactor because the group is seeking for
> art grants, to me they are the same

It's all semantics. You are going for an arts grant. Therefore, you
say you are doing "theatrical history presentations". I assume your
group doesn't have set scripts and perform plays or vignettes so they
technically aren't "actors". But they are "performing" in "costume"
for an "audience" and have to learn mannerisms, etiquette, and history
to correctly portray people from the time period. So you are crossing
over into the realm of "theatre" or "the arts".

For a straight history grant, I'd call them "living historians" or
"historic interpreters" instead of "reenactors". Unfortunately,
"reenactor" has come to mean beer-bellied yahoos dressing up in funny
clothes trying to relive the Civil War. Those of us who are
"reenactors" know that there are plenty of people and units who are
serious historians that have contributed as much to understanding
history as professional historians but the negative stereotype is
still there. So use a different term.

Reminds of an example I heard somewhere of handing someone a mouse and
calling it a gerbil. People will freak out at a mouse but think a
gerbil is cute. Go fig.  :)

Deb

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