How to Create a Living History Event

Living history events are a great way to get people interested in the history of a given area. They are similar to historical reenactments, but they need not involve jousting matches are any type of combat. Additional, they require less scripting than traditional historical reenactment. Living history events can also be used as fund raising benefits for museums and historical societies.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• actors
• costumes
• music
• history books

1. Select a site for your historical reenactment. It can either be a museum, a mine, an historic home or any other place that holds significance in history.
2. Read books about the history period that interests you. Explore the vocabulary and dialect that was used in that period.
3. Find actors that might be interested in performing. If available, actors that have experience doing "period pieces" are your best choice.
4. Explore the culture of the period. This can include the type of music that people listened to, the art work and the type of books and poetry that were read. If possible, hire a group of musicians to play period music during the event.
5. Research the type of clothing that was worn during the period. Then, go online to find sites that will rent out historic costumes.
6. Serve refreshments that would be appropriate for the era. For example, you can serve a Victorian Tea at a Victorian home.

Tips & Warnings

• Video your performance so that you can improve upon it the next time.
• Invite local media to cover your event.
• Be careful when you research. Try not to have characters in clothing articles that have not been invented during the period.
• Try not to use modern slang when creating a script for your event.