Past Projects:
History Alive, Inc. selectively collaborates with other organizations with like-minded missions.
Some examples of past projects include:
Two Points Off the Weather Bow
A whaling adventure on the high seas, based heavily on ship’s logs, memoirs, and shanties of 19th century sailors.
WANTED: Thirty enterprising, dedicated persons for a whaling voyage from twelve to twenty months on the good ship Ballmer. Two Points Off the Weather Bow invites the audience to step in as the newest recruits of this expedition, and all crew members are expected to pull their own weight. Whether it’s coiling ropes, flipping the boom to catch a strong wind, or clearing the deck for the next stop on land, each audience member has their own role to fulfill. The goal of this vessel? To rope in a whale that will entice the merchants at every port in New England.
Our Union is Complete
An exploration of the complex yet inspiring story of the 1860 shoemakers’ strike.
On February 22nd, 1860, women workers at the shoe and textile factories in Lynn walked the streets in a procession along with men to demand equal pay for their labor; the same work done by men. This historical strike and march began in Lynn, Massachusetts and spread to other towns and cities. In collaboration with Lynn Walking Shoe Tours, audiences learned more about this episode in local history and how the contributions of both women and men are important in social and labor changes.
Art and Craft: Show and Stay
An interactive weekend of mystery and awakening in collaboration with The Salem Inn.
For years, the Salem Inn has heard reports of spiritual activity in and around their properties. While none of it implies malintent, both the Inn’s employees and guests are convinced that something--or someone--is trying desperately to communicate. Among these witnesses is local historian Louisa Rogers, who has experienced the most spiritual activity of all during her residency at the Salem Inn. In the hopes of discovering the cause of these happenings, the Inn has called upon Louisa Rogers, Cora Sprague-Fox (a local medium), and you to get to the bottom of it.
The Scarlet Letter
A peregrinating re-telling of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous classic tale of love, shame, alienation and forgiveness.
In this adaptation for Salem’s Pioneer Village, the audience meets the introverted, self-doubting Hawthorne on the path into his imaginary world. With the author as their guide, they enter the village on the day of atonement for Mistress Hester Prynne. Although she has accepted her sentence, the aftershock of Hester’s scarlet letter echoes throughout the village, as long-kept secrets and hidden relationships threaten to reveal themselves-- and perhaps for good reason.
Homestead
A peek inside a 17th century home as its troubled inhabitants come to grips with witchcraft in their midst.
In the farming homestead of the Matthews family, something unnatural is afoot; twelve-year-old Ruth Matthews has been exhibiting alarming behavior, and as is customary, friends, family, and neighbors alike are invited to the home to pray for the child and decipher the cause of her symptoms. The audience, as the proverbial “fly on the wall,” eavesdrops on the conflicts of men, women and children as they confront their own fears surrounding the supernatural.
Beverly Race Amity Day
A celebration of unity in Beverly featuring Frederick Douglass and the Hutchinson Family Singers
Beverly’s first annual Race Amity Day celebrates diversity and acceptance across all demographics of the city, accompanied by the voice of author, statesman, and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Paired with the inspiring music of the Hutchinson Family Singers, a 19th century musical group known for their songs of social advocacy, Beverly Race Amity Day invites the public to reflect on the past and dream for the future alongside their neighbors.
Artists and Abolitionists: Salem’s Daughters Abroad
An Interactive Travelogue with Salem’s 19th century culture makers.
On Salem Women’s History Day, several prominent women from history join in celebration of their lives’ works: healing, literature, business, social advocacy, and more. Featuring speeches from Mary Tyler Peabody, Sarah Parker Remond, and Lydia Pinkham, spliced by the music of the Hutchinson Family Singers and poetry from Frederick Douglass, all are welcome to join these women in connecting across history in the fight for inclusion.
The True 1692
An intimate 3-D film on the rising storm that led to the Salem Witch Hysteria, conceptualized and co-produced with CinemaSalem.
As the Salem Witch Trials are consuming the Massachusetts Bay Colony, a young Puritan woman watches as her community devolves into hysteria. While watching The True 1692, the audience is immersed in the dangerous realities of life in Salem Village at the end of the 17th Century, as their guide reveals the odd coincidence of forces, external and internal, which set in motion the tragedy of the Witch Trials.
Fezziwig’s Ball
A night of holiday caroling, dancing, and revelry, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers.
Join Fezziwig himself in an unforgettable evening of dance and merriment from the era of Dickens. Learn and participate in classic period dances like “Pop Goes the Weasel,” the Spanish Waltz, “Sir Roger de Coverly,” and more, accompanied by a live chamber quartet; partake in complimentary refreshments; and carol through downtown in your holiday best to ring in the season.
Spiritways: A Night in Besieged Salem Village
An unnerving nighttime immersion into the world of the infamous “afflicted girls” at America’s first living history museum, Pioneer Village.
There’s no telling what one may come across if they go walking in the woods after dark. Guided by firelight and the voices of 17th century narratives and folklore, Spiritways crafts an experience unlike any other, recreating the psychological maze of a 17th century teenage conscience.
Arbella 375th
A sunset sail around Salem Harbor with the men and women who braved the voyage on the ship Arbella, in collaboration with Salem Preservation, Inc.
Step on board the Kalmar Nyckel in Salem Harbor as it transforms into the ship Arbella in 1630—as part of the Winthrop fleet, bearing Puritans to New England, guests are accompanied by the writings of the Arbella’s historic passengers: Anne Bradstreet, America’s first published poet; John Winthrop, the new governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; and Thomas Dudley, founder of present-day Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Witch | Hunter
A haunting scavenger hunt for salvation in Salem Village in 1692, set in the woods and dark interiors of Pioneer Village.
Would you join the witch hunt to protect yourself? In Witch | Hunter, the audience must gather clues and materials from 17th century figures that influence English supernatural folklore: an herbalist, a minister, an afflicted girl, and a witch-finder general. With these materials, these guests turned hunters have the chance to restore balance to Salem and escape damnation; if they should fail, their fellow villagers may never be rid of the devil’s presence.
Wilber’s War
A story of two ordinary Americans, Wilber and Norma Bradt, in an extraordinary time, World War II.
A father’s odyssey. A mother’s secret. A son’s story. Wilber’s War offers fresh, deeply personal insights into the historic conflict of WWII as it was fought by the U.S. Army and by a family on the home front. An epic tale of patriotic and familial duty, heroism, and love, this moving story by local author Professor Hale Bradt is brought to life in a staged reading by History Alive, Inc. Last performed in honor of Memorial Day in May 2019. In collaboration with Punctuate4 Productions.