Other/Innovative Ways to Reenact?

[grace]

Dear all,

Having rather thoroughly examined the local calendars in my area and been a little letdown, what are some other/innovative ways to share history in "rig"?

I'm particularly interested in the ladies' side, for obvious reasons, but I know my groups would like to branch out as well. I'm going to get into contact with the "Stately Homes" from the 1850s-60s in the area and ask if I can volunteer, but I wanted to know if anyone else had ideas and suggestions.

One other note: I would like this to be something not involving massive networks and events. What can we do alone or with a small group? And yes, I've just gone out and about in hoops, bonnet and all and all. That's fun.

I'm a writer/marketer, so I can definitely add value wherever I go. After all, we all want more and the right sort of people to come...


Any ideas? Am I off my rocker? What do you think?

 

[captaindrew]

I think you're on the right track volunteering at local historic sites.

 

[Tailor Pete]

Not sure about activities in your area, but in Arizona, many communities hold local 'Meet Yourself' events to introduce people to the organizations and activities throughout the community. Perhaps setting up a display at one such event could happen. This could quite possibly motivate others to join local reenactment groups as well.

 

[byron ed]

...Having rather thoroughly examined the local calendars in my area and been a little letdown, what are some other/innovative ways to share history in "rig"?

Find a niche, research the daylights out of it, and offer a first-person living history. So many have done this. You start with cold calls to venues (museums and small town history day chairpeople) to explain your special CW impression, something that's not been so well covered before.

Please - PLEASE - don't make it "women soldiers in the Civil War" or "Vivandieres." The role of strong women in the war has been trivialized to a few stock stories taken from the juvenile non-fiction dept. in the Library.

Some of these could really use some fleshing out -- i.e. the story behind the story --while others need to be dug up. Women literally controlled the homefront and medical scenarious, but also ran businesses and farms, and wrote journals. Latch on to a story and develop it into about a 15-minute overview for passing visitors, but be ready with an hour's worth of serious presentation in the event you're asked to be a more formal presenter at some point. Any kind of artifacts laying around your camp can be conversation starters -- for instance as a woman you could be smoking a pipe, it wan't uncommon. It brings folks in. It brings kids in (but act like your dying of smoke inhalation when kids come in to mollify your message for a modern audience of families).

At some point, a year or two into it, ask venues for compensation, $50 - $300 depending on the size and popularity of the event and how many days it is. If you've been popular it's not too forward to ask for compensation. Just know we men are pretty bold about it. Stand up for your worth. It's not the money so much as it is a sign of your value as a history presenter, it brings a bit a gravitas to your presentation, to the point you can leverage your "gig" into a year-long offering to community groups and schools on an appointment basis.

Typically at CW reenactments there is a zone of civilian reenactors, more often just folks just wanting to primitive camp or sell some of their Etsy crafts, less often a more serious community of coordinated impressions, where if you "hang" with them over a summer a niche will become obvious and you are invited. You will get boku support besides.

One last bit of advice, steer away from the living history goofballs, those adults who come into an event with much bluster, playing the high officer or famous person, or a gunfighter or some such nonsense. They will by association drag down your more legitimate and well thought out presentation. They can become "hangers on" in your camp area because they see how popular it is. We military reenactors call them "walk-ons," because they've not coordinated or joined any unit as a legitimate participant. Send them out to fill a water bucket for you or something.

 

[grace]

@Bryon ed, thank you very much for the detailed ideas and suggestions. I very much appreciate it! In fact, I've already started to think about various "lesser-known" topics, such as what a gentlewoman may or may not do, a "learned female" of the times, or a young wife struggling by herself on a farm.

Do you know of anyone doing this that I could talk to? I guess my biggest worry is treading on the toes of the local groups here. As far as I can tell, they tend towards the mainstream and military, with the ladies generally on the side just talking to interested people. While I have no desire to criticize the people who have been doing this for years and years, I would very much like to do it "properly" as a young lady of the time.

Thank you all for responding and for the ideas! I'll be using them in my plans for this new year.

 

[MaryDee]

Volunteers are always needed at historic sites and museums!