Living History Lectures ~ Tames Alan
Historical, educational, hysterical. One costumed woman tells it like it WAS.
Costumed Programs
Using historically accurate costumes as a vehicle, Tames provides educational entertainment covering social history—what people ate, what they wore, what it was like to go to the doctor. In many of these programs, Tames comes out in the skivvies of the time period and dresses in front of the audience. Focusing on daily life and women’s issues, these programs bring to life what it was like to live in another era.
Ever wonder what hello girls, canaries, and the rose of No Man’s Land have to do with World War One? Dressed as an ambulance driver for the Motor Corps, Tames discusses the various work women did at the Western Front during the War to End All Wars.
The years between 1912 and 1927 saw some of the biggest changes for women in all of history. They went from being literally hobbled by society and their clothing to the freedom of the flappers in the space of 15 years. Wearing four historically accurate costumes, complete with undergarments, Tames takes you on an amazing journey that highlights the beginning of women’s emancipation.
The Struggles of the Suffragettes
The current freedom of modern women began with the Suffragette movement, which grew to encompass both Women’s Liberation and the Civil Rights movement. Dressed as a Suffragette, Tames talks about the struggle of American women to gain the right to vote and the impact the Suffragettes had on child labor laws and other major issues of the era.
The Intrepid Victorian Traveler
In this five-costume program, Tames presents a look into the clothing and lifestyle of a Victorian woman during the mid-1850s through the early 1860s. She discusses travel through the day, travel through society, and travel in general, which really opened up in the 19th century.
With 50% of England’s population in domestic service, this program explores the complicated hierarchy between upper and lower servants, everyone’s duties. Dressed as a Victorian parlor maid, Tames talks about what it was like to live and work downstairs in a late-Victorian house.
From the Streets of Shakespeare to the Court of Elizabeth
Have you ever wondered what life was like in Shakespeare’s time? In this two-costume program, Tames presents a look into the lives of the working class and the nobility during the Elizabethan era. She discusses what these people ate, wore, and what it was like to go to the doctor.
From the Streets of Rome to the Provinces of an Empire
Come take a journey through ancient Rome, from the glories of the Palatine Hill where the wealthy lived to the slums of the Subura. Find out what it was like to visit the baths or what a Marius Mule was. Dressed as a Roman matron, Tames paints a vivid picture of what it was like to be alive in Imperial Rome.
Using costume as a vehicle, Tames explores what it was like to be a woman in three ancient cultures. She focuses on the roles and rights of women in ancient Classical Greece, ancient Rome, and among the Celtic tribes of ancient Britain.
%20Final.jpg)
By A Lady: A Look at Jane Austen's World
Ever wonder why finding a husband was so critical to Jane Austen’s characters? Dressed in an authentic Regency costume, Tames gives an intriguing look into the world of Jane Austen’s novels and explains the social and financial structure of the time, including entailments, assemblies, balls, how a girl was ranked based on her fortune, and most importantly, why husband hunting almost reached the level of national hysteria.
Learning Among the Oak Groves:
With so many people in North America of Celtic descent, this program gives an insight into how their ancestors lived during the height of the Celtic empire. Dressed in an authentic Celtic costume, Tames talks about what it was like to live in ancient Britain at the time of the Roman invasion.
The Myth Makers of Ancient Civilization (Ancient Greece)
Combining costuming, storytelling, art, and dance with history, Tames takes you on a journey through the ancient Greek lands in this interdisciplinary program. Starting with the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures, she compares them to the classical Greeks. In the second part of this program audiences will learn the basics of figure drawing and a simple Greek folk dance.
