Presenters of Living History - Hiring Historical Presenters

Hiring Historical Presenters!
(or, things to consider when bringing strangers to your children/students)

As with any service available to a consumer, one thing to keep in mind is that you do have options. As much as we at Presenters of Living History would love for you to hire us on the spot, there are more factors to consider when bringing in historical presenters than simply how well they fit into your current curriculum.

Presenters run the gamut from experienced, charismatic professionals to flakey, ill-trained new-hires. Re-enactments are a great place to find new recruits, for you will more than likely meet people who are passionate about their subject. However, "passionate" does not always translate to "good with children" or “qualified educators”. PLH has a high standard of what sort of personality we put in charge of a class, and we audition and train rigorously to ensure the students are given the finest experience possible.

Talk to other schools and teachers. You don't have to base your choice on the company's own recommendations! A company should provide you with a list of schools, teachers and principals who have worked with them before. Some questions to ask are how satisfied these schools were with different aspects of the program, whether students were embarrassed or denigrated during the event, whether inappropriate behavior was involved.

Do they require a deposit? Many companies require you to make as much as a 50% deposit well before the program (and before you see what you’re buying!). PLH believes that payment should come with satisfaction of the day and does not ask for a check until the end of the day.

Do they expose children to off-color or vulgar aspects of the period (You’d be surprised what we hear!)? There is some school of thought that because the humor of the Elizabethan Age was more adult (by today's standards), it is appropriate for historical presenters to engage with students with the same mentality of the 16th Century, regardless of contemporary standards. Even though the actors in the industry march to a different drummer, we can vouch for the character of those we hire and guarantee they will not act inappropriately.

Are they flexible to your needs? Can they adjust to increased or decreased numbers of students within a week or two of the event? Will they work with you to provide the classes you want, or as close to as possible?

What "extras" do they offer in addition to the program itself? Do they provide opening and closing assemblies? Are they able to provide a pre-event presentation to help the students understand what to expect? Are they willing to come to events such as fund raisers or PTA meetings to help your school fund the program?

We hope all the schools we work with, both now and in the future, take advantage of the resources available to them. Look at the background of the company you intend to bring into your school and make sure they have your students' best interests in mind.