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Journal of Interdisciplinary History 30.4 (2000) 641-642



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Book Review

Past into Present:
Effective Techniques for First-Person Historical Interpretation


Past into Present: Effective Techniques for First-Person Historical Interpretation. By Stacy F. Roth (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998) 254 pp. $39.95 cloth $14.95 paper.

Roth is a practitioner of first-person historical interpretation, a "simulation of life in another time for the purpose of research, interpretation, and/or play (9)." She divides her book into four sections. In the first, she gives a good overview of the history and development of first-person interpretation, explaining the goals of the technique and the debates surrounding its use. The second part of the book is devoted to the foundations of historical role playing--preparation and character development--and its relationship to theater. In the third section, Roth provides a practical guide to the challenges of first-person interpretation--how to connect with audiences, the importance of tone and body language, and the art of conversation. The final section offers suggestions for dealing with different types of audiences, such as children, foreigners, [End Page 641] and those with special needs. Roth also discusses how to present controversial material, such as slavery and religious dissent. Two of Roth's appendixes provide practical information--a list of selected sites that offer first-person interpretation and a topic list for researching historical characters.

This book is an outgrowth of Roth's earlier work with staffs at Plimoth Plantation, Old Sturbridge Village, and Mystic Seaport Museum. This time she visited and interviewed staff at Colonial Williamsburg; observed interpreters at Conner Prairie in Fishers, Indiana, and Freetown Village in Indianapolis, Indiana; and sent questionnaires to interpreters at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, Ontario, as well as to independent interpreters. She also spoke with interpreters at Fort Snelling, Minnesota; Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, New Jersey; Morristown National Historical Park; and Colonial Connection in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Readers of this book can learn how to become, or train, a first-person historical interpreter. Roth proposes a thorough, five-sphere framework of knowledge--personal, local, occupational/domestic, stational, and worldly--for character development. An interpreter must not just recite facts, but actually portray a character performing everyday activities. According to Roth, museums and sites should have a training program for staff interpreters so that they can present interesting and accurate characters and relate well to their public.

Hannah Jopling
City University of New York

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