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First Person....
Sturmkatze:
What are your thoughts on First Person in reenacting? Doyou get into it that much? Has it taken you back to "then?" Let us know.
historymuseum2000:
I have had some really good first person experiences with reenacting, especially in ACW and WWII GI.
The best ACW was at an event in Georgetown KY, it was supposed to be during the Atlanta Campaign, My pards an I went down over a hill to a nearby creek. While down there we bathed and washed our socks and drawers and the wholel time ( about an hour) we stayed in first person character. Discussing wanting to go home, not wanting to fight to free "the darkies" or of course missing our folks back home. We also talked about the food we missed and what we wanted to do when we got back home, ( put in another wheat field, buy that other plow horse etc. ) What we did not talk about was hand sewn this or that or who had the best reproduction haversack, blouse, forage cap etc etc. We kept it entirely 1864, not even talking about what would come after July 1864. Meanwhile the artillery crews in the background ( out of eyesight) were slowly shooting off roudnds, helping to create the illusion that we were part of the build up of forces to take Atlanta. ( we were also out of view of anything modern, down in our little creek valley.)
It was a challenge but one of the coolest living history experiences of my reenacting/interpretive life.
The WWII one finds a small squad of us arriving late( around 2300 ) to a tactical event near Effingham Illinois. We were portraying members of the 394th Infantry, 99th Division.We had no idea where we were or where we were being guided to. This was the middle of January and it was damn cold. We quietly reached our positions and were assigned our holes. I remember trying to hunker down in my hole and get some shut eye, but i as too pumped and kept "hearing" things out in front of us. I remember sitting there shivering, trying to pull my horse blanket overcoat up tighter and wondering just what the hell I was doing there. I wanted despretly to light up a smoke but I knew damn well that would have been a very bad idea. All the other squad members were quiet, just trying to keep up with our guide and not loose the guy in front of them.
I was miserable, cold, and hungry too, and pissy 'cause I couldn't have my smoke, this was all wrapped up in the apprehension of not knowing just what the hell was going on. Late when I read about replacements hitting the line in Ambrose's book Citizen Soldier, I felt I knew a little bit more what that would have felt like.
i realize it is not always possible to achieve these perfect moments, but at the right events and with the cooperation of good pards or squad mates it can be a great way to gain a little more insight into through "the historical window" to have a more personal experience with history, It is a wonderful way to get as much out of reenacting/living history as one can.
Lee
Sturmkatze:
Wow! Great post. I know exactly what you mean. I've had a couple of those at WWI and WWI before :-)
writer78:
I do renaissance faires as a playtron, so I don't have direct war reenacting experience, but I do attend reenactments when I can. In interacting with reenactors from an audience perspective, I have always found that it draws me in when a reenactor will speak to the crowd as their character. However, I feel like it can only be used with audiences in short bursts. When I once tried to engage a Wild West reenactor on some questions about history, I asked as if we were ourselves, talking about his character. He started to answer, stopped, and went back into character. I was a little disappointed because I couldn't get the info I wanted without having to play along.
It can be hard for the audience to play along, as we don't know a tenth of the history that the reenactor does, and we're standing around in shorts and teeshirts and feel silly trying to make up characters to fit into the reenactor's world. It is also a little tiresome (probably for the reenactor, as well as for the audience) when the reenactor pretends to be amazed by cameras, glasses, etc. That kind of banter can make the audience smile and feel at ease, but when it goes on and on, it gets frustrating.
So that's what I think about first person when I'm in the audience. If I were a reenactor, I think it would be challenging but potentially really thrilling to stay in character for a long time, as the poster above me talked about at his ACW reenactment. I am considering picking an era and getting into the hobby, and that is the biggest appeal for me: the chance to get into the history and live it for a little while.
I think it would be terrific to reenact in character for one's own sake, but when working with the public, I think it's important to just use it as an icebreaker and then talk to people normally, which I think creates the greater comfort level.
MrsCaptYoung:
I currently work at Fort Delaware, a Delaware State Park where we do nothing but first person ACW reenacting. I have to say I am definitely a big fan of first person because we have so much fun with it. When the public isn't present we still slip back and forth between our characters and ourselves.
When I am doing my main character, Mrs. Captain Young, I definitely have a hard time getting out of character. She was a very wealthy, upper class Captain's wife, whose husband was known for doing next to nothing at the fort. Coming out of my high and mighty persona is definitely a challenge. I find it nearly impossible to come out of character when talking with the person playing my husband. We have such fun bantering that we just don't bother. Even the girls that play our hired help seem to get a kick out of the abuse.
I think I enjoy first person so much because I get to step away from myself for a while, and in the case of Mrs. Capt Young, I get to let my nasty side out to play. ;)
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