Hands-on theatre returns to Battle Ground Hotel
There’s treasure afoot at the Battle Ground Hotel Museum next month.
Live History, the same theatre company that had audiences help solve a mystery at the museum last spring, brings its latest venture to the restored 1850s tavern April 1 and 2 with Mary’s Odyssey.
With help from audiences, the interactive show follows a young maid seeking a treasure hidden by the venue’s previous owner. The stash was left to help the current owner in times of need, and using Homer’s The Odyssey as a cipher, the audience searches for clues alongside the maid, played by Live History’s Jasmine Bowen.
The Ottawa-based company creates shows which integrate the history of the venue it’s performing in. Last year’s production, Catherine’s Creed, had audiences helping a town outcast trying to find the package left behind by her deceased friend.
“It went very well (last year),” says Christine Girardi, assistant curator of Niagara Falls Museums.
“One of the cool things about the performance is all of the audience members have to participate. They have to find clues in order to complete the show. It’s not an escape room where you’re locked in a room…but the actors work with the audience members.”
Seven performances will take place over two days. Audiences are limited to 15 people per show.
While guided tours still serve a purpose, Girardi says tourists are craving more interactive experiences while visiting historic sites.
“Some people love the tour and just want to get the information, but it’s the interactivity of sites like the Battleground Hotel and our museum…that really captures the imagination of the public,” she says. “It makes them proud of their local history.
“I really hope that, gone are the days when we’re just being droned at for hours on end about history. It doesn’t make it feel like a living, breathing thing that happened.”