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Reenacting PortfolioMy 15 years of reenacting experience range from the Colonial/Revolutionary War period (1750-@1790) to the Federal period (@1790-1823). My character interpretations range from gentry (plantation mistress) to middle-class (governess). Rosalie Stier CalvertFor the past 11years, I have focussed on interpreting Rosalie Stier Calvert, a Belgian émigré who moved to the United States in 1794, fleeing the Terror on the Continent. She married the powerful Maryland family, the Calverts. When her parents and siblings returned to Belgium, she wrote them letters, which were discovered in Belgium around 30 years ago, translated, and published by Johns Hopkins University: Mistress of Riversdale: The Plantation Letters of Rosalie Stier Calvert. Undestined for publication, her letters reveal many things: aspects of life in the fledgeling United States, the travails of raising a family, politics (she disapproved of Presidents Jefferson and Madison), fashions, wars, and the economy (she acted as business agent for her father and brother). Few letters provide such an unrestricted picture of life from a foreign and female viewpoint. Riversdale events (in alphabetical order—many events are annual):
Dolley Payne Todd MadisonBefore Mrs. Calvert, the character for whom I was best known was Dolley Payne Todd Madison. I had researched her character thoroughly and played her thrice at Montpelier (with John Douglas Hall) and once at the State Department Formal Reception Rooms (1993), also with Mr. Hall, whose approbation I have been lucky enough to obtain. In addition, I interpreted Mrs. Madison for Elderhostel (1994) as part of their study on famous First Ladies. The most recent event at Montpelier celebrated the publication of the collection of Dolley Madison's letters; I read selections to crowd of about 75. I focus on Mrs. Madison's less-well-known side. She is often portrayed as a warm-hearted, frivolous party girl (when she's not presented as the server of ice cream or the purveyor of tea cakes). While her legendary charm is undeniable, I've chosen to emphasize her capability and her intelligence. Harriet Martineau interviewed the Madisons in their later years at Montpelier, and wrote that she considered Mrs. Madison fully her husband's equal. Mrs. Madison did, in fact, serve as her husband's secretary during his illness. Also, her first husband, John Todd, left all his property in her sole control, and he wouldn't have done that if she'd been irresponsible or frivolous. I also consider some pivotal events in her life: her father's business failure (arising in part from his Quaker conscience) and the death of her first husband and second child in Philadelphia's yellow fever epidemic of 1794. The latter accounts for her life-long indulgence (if not ruination) of Payne Todd (her blind spot), and probably accounts for Madison's tenderness (or at least forbearance) toward that young man, much against his better judgment. I do believe she supported Madison—apparently his public social gifts were not the equal of hers, tho' he shone in his private domestic circle. They balanced each other, and each valued the other properly. [As an aside, ironically my best characters—Mrs. Calvert and Mrs. Madison—were not particularly close. Mrs. Calvert despised Mrs. Madison's openness and other democratic notions; I have no information on what Mrs. Madison thought of Mrs. Calvert!] Other characters/locationsOther specific characters I have interpreted include Eliza Collins Lee (Sully) and Ann Mason (Gunston Hall). I have also performed at the following locations:
Certifications I have the following certifications in the Living History Foundation's Most Excellent Order of Cleio in Recognition of Distinctive Performance and Outstanding Knowledge and Skill in Living History Interpretation:
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