History program gets underneath it all
LINCOLN – In her new edutainment program, historical interpreter and Pawtucket resident Pat Perry is diving into a topic considered taboo in some circles: underwear.
She describes her show “The Laundry Basket” as “a look-back into underwear of men and women, and it’s kind of a little PG-ish, because you’re talking about underwear.”
Perry can tell you all about different types of corsets, petticoats and hoops. She can tell you all about the codpiece, a piece of fabric that was attached to the crotch area on men’s pants. Codpieces came into popularity in the 1500s, when men’s jacket hemlines were rising and there was a necessity for more fabric, considering pants were made up of two separate legs that were tied around the waist.
Her description of “The Laundry Basket” reads, “From corsets and crinolines to long johns and shirt fronts, underwear has been an important part of our wardrobe. What did we wear closest to our skin before lacy brassieres or boxer shorts?”
Perry is presenting “The Laundry Basket” at the circa-1694 Valentine Whitman House, one of the last stoneenders in the country, at 7 p.m. on May 5. Space is limited, and reservations for the show can be made by calling the Whitman House, located at 1147 Great Road, at 401-334-2182. Tickets are $10.
Perry, a Coventry native, was a junior high school teacher in San Diego in the 1980s and then trained adults in medical software. She and her husband – a native San Diegan – returned to her home state.
In 2007, Perry founded the historical interpretation services business Sneak Peek Productions. Over the years, she has developed 20 programs, on topics such as Christmas in the White House, witchcraft, old sayings, tea etiquette, the Titanic, the golden age of radio, and the Chicago World’s Fair.
Perry said a simple show requires about six months of research, though for “The Laundry Basket,” she already had some information from other shows she’s done on the topic of historical garb. She starts her research by ordering a lot of books.
“The books all show up, and then over the course of time I’ll be doing online researching; I’ll be reading all of the notes,” she said. “I also haunt secondhand stores.”
Perry first got the idea to do a show while working at Slater Mill. The first show she did was “Under the Petticoat.” Perry’s description for the show on the Sneak Peek Productions website reads, “Have you ever wondered about the day-to-day lives of our Colonial ancestors? Were the good old days really that good? Exactly how did one use a chamber pot? How many skirts did one woman wear at a time? How often did they bathe?”
Perry met Pat Choiniere, chair of the Friends of the Valentine Whitman House, through volunteering for the National Park Service as an interpreter in the Blackstone Valley. She began doing shows at the Valentine Whitman House in Lincoln for about eight years, and she has brought every single one of her shows to the historic house.
“She’s phenomenal. She does a wide range of different historical topics, so I call her up when I need a show, because I have a group that follows her,” Choiniere said of Perry, noting that people often ask when Perry is coming to the Whitman House next. “She makes it not only interesting and informative; she makes it fun.”
Shows are a rare treat at the Valentine Whitman House, which holds about four shows per year. Choiniere said after Perry’s presentation of “The Laundry Basket” in May, the next shows will be in August and November.
Perry also takes her shows to libraries, senior centers and assisted living facilities, and the Rhode Island Shriners. In June, she’ll be on a cruise ship through Blount Small Ship Adventures, a tour agency based in Warren.
The next show she’s working on is about suffragettes, and she hopes to have it finished by October.