“Some purists believe that creating a theatrical piece embodying the stories and myths of a culture without the native storyteller present, is a perversion and denigration of cultural patrimony. However, professionals in museum theatre believe that the most important part of creating meaningful experiences using others' stories is that the stories and the culture they represent are handled with respect and every effort is made to portray them accurately.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-person_interpretation
One of the most interesting recent reflections about my living history work is how intentionally it differs from my membership as a community leader in the folksong and traditional music community. I have the deepest respect for “tradition-bearers,” like Thomas MCarthy, Anita Best, or others who have married their life’s work to the cultural heritage of their family of origin.
However, the point and the purpose of my living history series A Woman’s Way, including Lisette’s Journey and Gudrid the Wanderer, was and is intentionally to step outside my own culture and take a journey of discovery and exploration by immersion in an archetype—“voyageurs, vikings, pirates, and other traditional women’s roles.” My goal has never to be what I am not, but always to become more than I am. This is the gift, and the practice, of living history.
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