Have you ever wished you could go back in time, explore an historical era or experience life as your ancestors lived it?
Gavilan Community College is hosting a cool event, titled “Historical Reenactment for Everyone” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26 at the San Benito County Historical Park, located at 8300 Airline Highway in Tres Pinos.
Sponsored by the San Benito County Historical Society and Gavilan College Community Education, the workshop will “give you what you need to confidently develop and animate a historical character of your choice or creation,” according to a press release from the college. Participants will discuss researching and choosing a character, developing the character, basics of costumes and dialect and how to make learning fun for audience members. All participants will have opportunities to develop characters outside the workshop for use at the San Benito County Historical Park under the auspices of the San Benito County Historical Society, or with another historical agency.
The event will be spearheaded by instructor Leah Halper, a Stanford-trained social historian who has taught history at Gavilan College for nearly 20 years. She has worked with historical interpretation for most of that period, developing a dozen characters to help history come alive for students. She is also an award-winning playwright whose work has been produced from LA to Marin County.
Contact Community Education at Gavilan College to enroll. Cost is $25; bring your own lunch. Everyone over 14 welcome! (Under 14 need instructor approval.) Go to www.GavilanCE.com or call 408-852-280 for more information.
