Accokeek, MD—A historic farm house and heritage breed farm animals provide the backdrop for an entertaining evening of theatrical performances at the National Colonial Farm on July 30. For five years running, the Museum Theatre Program at the Accokeek Foundation has provided a few talented performers with intensive training in living history and museum theatre–a form of live performance used to educate and engage visitors at museums around the world. Rooted in scholarly research, this year’s program uses a variety of theatrical techniques to explore the topic of crime and punishment in Colonial Maryland. Weekend performances in July have provided interns the opportunity to engage with visitors in performances of vignettes they created, including “Tales from the Pillory” and “Insolent and Contemptuous Carriages,” even as they feverishly developed the script and rehearsed their final show: “Murder on the Potomac.”
“This internship has been a wonderful learning experience that has tested my limits in acting and history and lengthened them”, states intern Jeanette Wheeler. “It truly has been an experience of a lifetime.” Rounding out the cast of interns this year is Shanice Jones, Mariah Fry, Valerie Holt, Lindsey Mitchell, and Abby Barber.
The internship program culminates in the Foundation’s popular Colonial Day event, which has something for audiences of all ages. At 5 p.m. families can enjoy a delightful adaptation of “Goody Two Shoes,” a favorite 18th century children’s story (developed in collaboration with the National Children’s Museum), and “Songs and Tales from the Pillory.” Then the audience will be invited to stroll through the house and yard of the National Colonial Farm looking for “clues” to a murder before taking a seat and watching as Miss Nancy Marple Fletcher Drew attempts to solve the mystery of “Murder on the Potomac” in this hilarious send-up of the classic “whodunit.”
Event Details
Colonial Day: Crime and Punishment in Colonial Maryland
Saturday, July 30
5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
$7 members; $10 non-members, with advance admission available
