period correct presentations

[rmdan14]

In a few weeks I am going to be in charge of talking about fashion from the Civil War at an event. I am fairly sure about what I want to say but I don't know the best way to present it. I'm still pretty new to reenacting and all the ways I'm use to presenting require modern technology. So I was wondering what are so ways some of you ladies have gone about presenting topics to the public without breeching the time gap. I appreciate all of your help

[ElizabethClark]

Re: period correct presentations

What's your time frame for the presentation, Regina? There are a lot of ways to break it up, but I think you'll find that shorter really is good; if interested folks wish to stay after and talk more, they will, but you don't want to go much longer than 25-30 minutes (the length of a good sermon, coincidentally!), or you lose folks. Keep it short and snappy, and it works.

There's an article on "Value Added Events" with some ideas on fashion presentation here:

http://www.elizabethstewartclark.com/GAMC/LS/index.htm

From the article:

Fashion presentations are a key way to catch the attention of reenactors and spectators (yet another “stealth” educational tool!)

There are fairly defined categories of period clothing. Use these to organize the fashion presentation in a logical, flowing manner. Some possible division: Infants & Children; Men’s Professional and Trade (or general citizen); Women’s Undergarments; Working Attire; “Better” clothes; High Fashion and Specialty clothes (ball gowns, swimming costumes, riding habits); Outerwear & Headwear; Special Impressions (Religious, Suffrage, Temperance Uniforms, etc.)

The worst case scenario for a fashion show commentator is the “open call” event, when interested parties arrive, and all expect to be featured in the show. Whether the garments are accurate or not, the narrator is forced to say something. Off-the-cuff commentating can lead to some pretty large inaccuracies passed along as fact.

Avoid the hassle by hosting scripted shows, rather than open call. With a scripted show, specific ensembles are featured; non-featured garments are not presented, and only a few examples of each ensemble are needed. The commentary can be sketched before-hand, and edited to ensure its accuracy.

If your group is used to only open call shows, there will be some disgruntlement at first. You must be polite and firm in order to avoid very large hassles. Depending on the event scenario, you may choose to handle the registration before the event, or organize it on-site the day before the show.

The pre-registered presentation calls for applications filled out, and photos submitted, in the months prior to the event. The selections are narrowed, participants are selected and notified, and invitation cards are issued. It is most effective for small events wherein comprehensive material culture guidelines are passed out with registration materials; the invitation to submit a photo and description for the fashion show can be included in these materials. Of course, this is not the way most events work.

More commonly, an on-site organization is needed. The commentator will need two or three assistants who have a good eye for period clothing, and who will help her select participants for the show.

The day before the show (or at least several hours prior to it!), the show staff walks through the event areas, and personally invite people to participate wearing the clothing they are currently wearing. Each “finder” may be given a certain quota (select 4 working attire, and two children), or may find one example of each category presented.

Keep track of the invitations issued is by using a two-part invitation card (one possible style is found on page four of the PDF version of the article in the link above. It may be photocopied.) The portion kept by the staff details the person’s name, unit affiliation, category of clothing, description of clothing, and any remarkable details that should be pointed out during the show. The portion given to the invited participant includes the show assembly time, place, and a brief description of the ensemble they are invited to wear.

When the time comes to assemble for the show, review the invitations, sort participants into categories, and arrange the comment cards similarly. The show can be presented smoothly, without inaccurate ensembles or statements.

Presenting Tableaux (pronounced tab-blow’) is a very scripted way to show different modes of clothing. Participants are grouped into scenes on stage, and the narrator describes both clothing and the setting. Tableaux might include Times of the Day; Breakfast at Home; The Charity Sewing Circle; Shopping; At the Party; At School; An Evening At Home with Family; Seeking Refuge; At Church.

Participants will need a few props in addition to their clothing (a table, some chairs, baskets, etc). With about 5 minutes for each setting, this presentation is particularly effective in communicating when various sorts of clothes are the most typical.

Group Assembly set-ups have each category gather near the narrator in a group. The narrator then moves down the lineup, describing common features and interesting items for each in turn.

You might also use a Runway set-up: organize the participants off-stage, and as each is announced, they walk down a strip or platform with spectators seated or standing around. A pause at the end of the platform, and a few slow turns, allows the narrator plenty of time to comment on the ensemble while the spectators get a good view of each outfit. Be sure to explain that normal walking and turning will suffice—no need to strut or sway!
Children and shy people will usually be more comfortable if they are sent down the runway with a partner. Babies and toddlers can be carried or accompanied by a parent (don’t let a modern stroller on the stage!)

*****

Another tip I just thought of (have to edit it into the article!) is that you don't have to comment on every feature of every person's clothing. You can absolutely send a series of people in the same type of clothing out, and point out the common features. This way you can include more people in a short time frame, and those watching get a sense of the commonality of styles.

[Deb Kessler]

Re: period correct presentations

We planned ahead last year and presented a Tableaux which was quite successful. We limited it to a region of Virginia at the start of the war to show a very small cross section of the population. It was very well recieved and was certainly a different way of discussing fashion.

Good Luck with your project,

Deb Pomerantz

[Hank Trent]

Re: period correct presentations

So I was wondering what are so ways some of you ladies have gone about presenting topics to the public without breeching the time gap. I appreciate all of your help

Do you mean without breaching the illusion that the presenters are from a world 145 years before the audience? Or do you mean without running too long or pacing the show poorly?

If it's the first, I'd suggest considering whether it really matters. Deb Pomerantz's suggestion is excellent if you want to keep that as a goal, but another common approach is to organize it more like a modern lecture with living models rather than slides. In that case, you wouldn't worry if you needed to use a microphone, modern tent, modern stage, modern seats, modern lighting, etc., and you could take advantage of the opportunity to explain the context of the clothing in more detail and with modern comparisons.

The best choice may depend on what other presenters are doing, if there are any. If the whole event concept is "A Day at an 1861 Sanitary Fair," for example, with a wounded veteran's tear-jerking speech before you and a charity auction of donated repros afterwards, then you sure as heck want to keep that period illusion alive for the audience.

If the preceding speaker is a historian talking about his latest book, and the following lecture is on the restoration of a local historic building with before-and-after slides, then not so much. :)

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net