Reenactment

What is Reenactment?

Officially defined, re-enactment is considered "any presentation or other event held for the purpose of re-enacting an event from the past or of illustrating conduct from a particular time or period in the past."

In effect, re-enactment is a recreation of the past - any date prior to today's - involving military or non-military recreations of pretty much any kind. These are usually staged as a leisure activity by enthusiasts, ie as a hobby, although there is a small yet increasing number of professionals who offer services to heritage venues, schools and the like.

The term "Re-enactment" thus covers a very wide range of activities, to include the restaging of battles, military displays, everyday life through the ages, living history scenarios and encampments, as well as a wide range of historical entertainments.

Re-enactments can vary from a small-scale recreation of the past in incredible detail by a single person (for example, a Roman soldier or an C18th gardener) to larger scale historical events including multi-period ancient to modern era "spectaculars" staged by organisers such as EventPlan Limited, designed to entertain as well as educate. Every year, the historical eras and themes grow larger as more and more of the past is explored. Castles, historic houses, parks and other venues increasingly turn to re-enactment and living history groups as exciting, colourful attractions. The film and TV world also utilises the skills of top groups, including through professional agencies such as Historical Film Services.

Reenactors

Re-enactors come in all shapes and sizes, from every background, and increasingly, from all over the world. Who they are, and how old, is irrelevant. It doesn't matter if a re-enactor is a doctor or a dustman, an office or manual worker, the only thing that really counts is enthusiasm.

Some re-enactors focus on technical skills: how to fire cannons or guns, be a blacksmith, play a musical instrument or sew period appropriate clothing.

Other re-enactors focus on history: someone may know fine details of how a particular battle was fought, another may know everything about civil war ironclad ships or the exploits of a certain brigade.

Another set of re-enactors are excellent actors: some people enjoy playing the part of an ancestor, a famous general or a lowly private. All these people are the fruit of suspending reality and the ones who make it possible to belive that what is taking place truely is there.

One thing they all have in common: they have some of each of these skills and background. What you specialize in is up to you. But some things you must learn to do.

Re-enactment and living history offers participants a unique chance to enjoy recreating history within a great social scene, and for the millions of people who watch these enactments, a fascinating window on the past in the form of great entertainment. Of course, no-one can expect these re-enactments to be entirely accurate, for certain things (disease, filth, squalor, battlefield wounds and general gore) would be far too shocking to experience "for real" at most live recreations.

And although it can be argued that as a result, re-enactments can't be truly accurate so cannot be taken too seriously, they certainly offer many people their best opportunity to see, smell, touch, feel and generally experience the essential essence of past eras.

Of course, its hard to beat Hollywood films for recreating the past on an epic scale through computer generated imagery - but for a real, usually much more accurate, three-dimensional interactive recreation, re-enactment is hard to beat.

Re-enactment as we know it today appears a relatively modern invention, but in fact its roots go back far into the past.

Reenactment Types

Living history

Living histories are meant entirely for education of the public. Such events do not necessarily have a mock battle but instead are aimed at portraying the life, and more importantly the lifestyle, of people of the period. This often includes both military civilian camps. Occasionally, a spy trial is recreated,and a medic too. More common are weapons and cooking demonstrations, song and leisure activities, and lectures.

In the United States, living history is the only reenactment permitted on National Park Service land; NPS policy "does not allow for battle reenactments (simulated combat with opposing lines and casualties) on NPS property."

Combat Demonstration

Combat demonstrations are mock battles put on by reenacting organizations and/or private parties primarily to show the public what combat in the period might have been like. Combat demonstrations are only loosely based on actual battles, if at all, and may simply consist of demonstrations of basic tactics and maneuvering techniques.

Battle Reenactment

Scripted battles are reenactment in the strictest sense; the battles are planned out beforehand so that the companies and regiments make the same actions that the were taken in the original battles. They are often fought at or near the original battle ground or at a place very similar to the original.

Tactical Combat

Tactical battles are generally not open to the public. Tactical battles are fought like real battles with both sides coming up with strategies and tactics to beat their opponents. With no script, a basic set of agreed-upon rules (physical boundaries, time limit, victory conditions, etc.), and on-site judges, tactical battles can be considered a form of Live action role-playing game.

Creative History and Fantasy Events

Creative history and fantasy events are distinct from historical reenactments, as these types of events typically allow clothing and equipment that is not historically correct (for example, cotton clothing in a medieval setting), or may have no basis in history whatsoever.

While all such groups follow a looser interpretation of history (sometimes mixing equipment from closely related periods, for instance), some go a step further and mix historical elements with elements of fantasy, or incorporate modern technology or culture into a historical setting. (Often this is done in the interests of increasing safety or reducing costs, such as making melee weapons out of rubber or plastic rather than iron or steel).

Notable examples of this variation on the theme are the Society for Creative Anachronism, and Renaissance Faires, which blend approximately medieval customs, dress, and activities within historically inspired fantasy kingdoms. However, many Renaissance Faires have begun to rein in the fantasy elements and have a more historical feel.

Commercial Reenactment

Many castles, museums, and other historical tourist attractions employ actors or professional reenactors as part of the experience. These usually address the recreation of a specific town, village, or activity within a certain time frame. Commercial reenactment shows are usually choreographed and follow a script. More...