Have you always wanted to be Bridget Bishop (or a town cryer)? History Alive! auditions are this month

History Alive!, the professional acting branch of the Gordon College Institute for Public History, announces

AUDITIONS FOR the 2010 SEASON

2010 will be History Alive!'s nineteenth season of producing original, audience-interactive pieces about local history.

SHOW DESCRIPTIONS

CRY INNOCENT - The year is 1692. Bridget Bishop has been accused of witchcraft and the audience sits on the Puritan jury. They hear the historical testimonies, cross-examine the witnesses and decide the verdict. The actors respond in character to all comments and questions, revealing much about the Puritan mind. Cry Innocent is the longest continuously-running show north of Boston and has been featured on the Discovery Channel, the Travel Channel, A&E, Nickelodeon, TLC, NPR, BBC, CNN and MTV.

Spiritways: A Night in Besieged Salem Village is our contribution to Salem's "Haunted Happenings" festival. Held at night in Pioneer Village, Forest River Park, Spiritways is an unnerving nighttime immersion into the world of the infamous "afflicted girls". Not a haunted house, but not a play with a linear story, it is a recreation of the possible interior world of some of those who ignited and propelled the infamous Salem witchcraft hysteria. A frightening piece with history as it's foundation and education as it's goal—education in a visceral, tangible way.

Tour Guides at Pioneer Village. Built in 1930, Pioneer Village is America's oldest living history museum. Tour guides will interpret the lives of those who settled in Salem in the 1620's and 30's.

TRAINING, PAY, SCHEDULING
Positions are paid hourly. Rehearsals will be paid with a small stipend. Classes to enhance the rehearsal process may be available for college credit or for audit. Rehearsals and classes will be scheduled between May 20 and June 28. Performances begin in early July and run through mid-November. Roles are doubled and enough actors are hired to make for some flexibility in scheduling.

AUDITION TIME / DATE
Sunday, August 22nd. 1:00 p.m.--4:00 p.m. Please arrive at 1:00 and plan to stay for the whole session. Auditions will consist of ensemble games, script readings and interviews.

AUDITION LOCATION
The Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, Salem, MA 01970. The entrance to the building is on the Essex Street side.

Information:gordon.edu/historyalive
Questions? sarah.hartlett@gordon.edu

Cry Innocent and Pioneer Village Open this Weekend

Over the years, visitors have expressed a unique interest in learning more about the people and events of 17th century Salem. On July 4th, History Alive! is hosting its Grand Opening with the recreation of the original 1630 Salem at Pioneer Village and reenactments of the Salem Witch Trials at Old Town Hall.

The Grand Opening promises a day of discovery and relaxation to visitors of all ages. Cry Innocent will begin at Old Town Hall at 11:30AM, followed by a 1:30PM and 3:00PM afternoon show. From either Old Town Hall or Pioneer Village, visitors can catch a free ride on the Salem Trolley between both locations with the purchase of a History Alive! ticket.

The trolley pickup for Pioneer Village comes directly behind Old Town Hall on Front Street. At the village, visitors can explore 17th century life by joining a scheduled Folkways event or simply wandering through the village on their own. Folkways events include the recreation of a Sabbath Day meeting at 11:20AM and 1:20PM; Puritan songs and dance taught at 11:40AM and 1:40PM, and Colonial games at 12:00 noon and 2:00PM.

The following ticket prices apply to both shows: $9 adults, $8 seniors/students, free for children under six years, and a $2 discount is available with the purchase of a Cry Innocent and Folkways ticket.

Having been closed the past four and a half seasons, Pioneer Village is opening its doors to the public once again!

At Pioneer Village, visitors can take a leisurely country picnic at Forest River Park. They are also invited to take part in 17th century song, dance, and games before investigating the new Pioneer Village gift shop. Free colonial refreshments such as non-alcoholic burnt wine, fruits, and ginger snaps will also be offered at various points within the village. Before leaving, visitors can take home a bundle of fresh herbs from the garden, along with recipes on how to use them.

The village attempts to recapture the essence of 1630 Salem—the first capital of Massachusetts Colony. “At Pioneer Village, visitors can experience what life was like for people who lived in the 17th century, but another very important part of our story is to demonstrate who the Puritans were and what they accomplished,” said David Goss

For More Information: go to www.gordon.edu/historyalive/productions or visit http://www.pioneervillagesalem.com/

Spiritways in the Salem News

I'm probably cheating a bit here, but today's blog post is from yesterday's Salem News. Spiritways is one of those must-see events for Haunted Happenings 2008. Get ye to Pioneer Village...

Dark tale History Alive revises 'Spiritways' for Salem's Pioneer Village

By Larry Claflin Jr.
Staff writer

Salem Village is in peril: Savages lurk in the forest, "afflicted girls" and conjurers embrace Satan, and a demonic hysteria rattles the townspeople. Once a shining city on a hill, Salem has had God's grace snuffed, replaced by haunting darkness.

By the glow of candles and campfires, young Puritan women lead a group of kind strangers down uneven paths. The nervous, wide-eyed girls retell ungodly stories about hangings and infants spawned from Satan.

They chant, "Come witch, come wizard, come Shaman, come French. Come devil yourself! We are the elect."

This is Salem Village of 1692, as presented by Gordon College's History Alive theater program, and the strangers are audience members.

"Spiritways: A Night in Besieged Salem Village" plays Saturday nights in October at Pioneer Village, in Salem's Forest River Park.

"This is a psychological piece, looking through the eyes of these girls (who are) retelling stories and tales they would have heard," said Kristina Wacome Stevick, History Alive's creative director and codirector of Gordon's Institute of Public History.

"Spiritways" is meant to be a full-immersion experience, according to Stevick, who said audiences members will use their five senses — sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste — during the performance.

The play is also a learning tool, said Stevick, and the script is based on documented material from the time.

"I love the research," said Stevick, who co-wrote "Spiritways" with five others and directs the production. "I love trying to make historical material accessible to the general public."

The current script for "Spiritways" — revised from its 2007 version — was written specifically for Pioneer Village, an 11-acre living history museum Gordon has leased until 2013.

Sasha Irish, who plays a tour guide, said the play is accurate, not just scary.

"I like the fact that the show is trying to understand the Puritan mind-set at the time, and what may have caused (villagers) to react with such hysteria," said Irish, a recent Gordon graduate.

According to Stevick, some actors in "Spiritways" are familiar with the witch hysteria of the 17th century because they also appear in "Cry Innocent," another History Alive production running concurrently in Old Town Hall.

Julianne Richards, who acted in "Cry Innocent" for three years, is now a "Spiritways" cast member.

"Acting in 'Cry Innocent,' I had to do a lot of research from 1692 and on the lives of the people in Salem," said Richards, a Gordon graduate, who helped write the original "Spiritways" script in 2007. "It was kind of scary, writing this new thing. We'd never done anything like that before," she said. "It was a really fascinating journey for us all."