Living History

This week, episode 33, Alena and Stephen follow up the episode on Minutiae with by talking about reenacting and interacting the larger objects. They tackle big topics like:
•    Shelter: from Houses and environments to tents and other portable homes
•    Furniture: camp furniture, common furniture and a reading from Home by Witold Rybczynski
•    Storage: humans collect stuff, and have found myriad ways through the years of storing it all
•    Vehicles: both historical and modern transport concerns
•    Animals: adding animals to a portrayal, working with heritage breeds, dealing with the public.

Musical Interlude: Greensleeves performed by Renaissonics

Download: The Big Stuff

This week is a nice long episode on cookfires. We were asked for more detail on the making and keeping of fires for cooking so we’ll tell you about:
• fire starting, and building a bed of coals
• Equipment including wood types, bases, tools and more
• keeping a fire going, and putting that fire out
Musical Interlude: Buttercup’s Air by Night Heron Consort

Download:Cookfires
Listen here  

This week Alena and Stephen tackle the stuff of Living History, and talk about how much the little things can really add both for your own enjoyment and for the publics’ edification. We talked about:
• Steps toward historical accuracy
• pocket stuff and personal items
• Comfort items and furniture
• Tools, weapons, leisure and religious items.

Musical Interlude: Hey Ho to the Greenwood sung by Ravenrook Consort

Download: Minutiae
Listen here  

This week Stephen talks about the fading skills and arts many of us work to keep alive and how we pass those skills on to the public and fellow Living Historians.Stephen goes into:

• Skills that don’t have a market or place in the modern world, or have changed drastically
• Why these skills are important
• Taking up an old skill
• Teaching skills through general knowledge demonstrations
• Passing on the lost skills

Musical Interlude: Old Joe Clark by the Savannah Cotton Exchange off the Skirmish Presents, All in Tune with History CD

Download: Fading Skills

Episode Summary:

This episode we talk about what it takes to reenact a person or lifestyle. It is our hope that this will apply to both first person interpreters of history and third person, basically anyone who is interested in communicating about the past, using the people of the past and the lives they lived. We cover topics like:
• ways to classify the types of persona
• What’s in his or her head, including the Mental Makeup & Emotional flavor
• The physical, including stance and posture, clothing and props.
• Getting your message out using language and skills demonstrations

Musical Interlude: Black & Tans performed by 3 Pints Gone

Download: Becoming a Historical Person