Scenes from a colonial resurrection: First-person interpretations of history draw America 250 crowds

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Betsy Ross is a dynamo with a T-shirt cannon. America’s 250th birthday has been a banner year for the actors of Historic Philadelphia, Inc. who immerse visitors in Colonial history via first-person interpretations and true stories.

In the last few months, Betsy, played by Carol Spacht, has waved the checkered flag at a NASCAR race, met Punxsutawney Phil the weather-predicting groundhog, and competed against the Eagles’ Jordan Mailata in a karaoke contest— all to the absolute delight of crowds and social media commenters. While the quirky requests for appearances have been fun, many of the actors also feel an almost patriotic duty to tell the story of America’s founding from the place where it actually happened and from the perspective of everyday people often left out of history books. “I got chills,” says Johanna Dunphy, artistic director for Historic Philadelphia.

“I was tearing up listening to John Adams ask if anyone heard him or cared… in the place where these conversations happened. It was so moving to hear people in the audience say they still believed in this idea, and in what America could be.” You can’t have a short George Washington Anticipating the influx of tourists, Historic Philadelphia expanded its programming — adding characters and storytellers, and increasing opportunities for visitors to interact with history in Philadelphia’s Old City from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Overall, the troupe nearly doubled its cast to about 60 at the start of the season, but directors held rolling auditions throughout the year.

There are some physical requirements— you can’t have a thin-faced Ben Franklin, or a short Thomas Jefferson — but engaging with the stories and audiences is the most important quality. “Even if their face doesn’t match anyone we need, we can find someone from history they gel with,” Dunphy says. “Part of our mission is to tell the stories of the underrepresented Philadelphians who played such a huge role in building our city and country.

And for people of color and women, there aren’t a lot of portraits to work from, so you can be more forgiving on appearance.” For example, the troupe added a portrayal of Deborah Sampson, who disguised herself as a man to join the Revolutionary Army, and was the first woman to receive a pension for her service. There’s one portrait in existence, but most historians agree it is likel… PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Betsy Ross is a dynamo with a T-shirt cannon.America's 250th birthday has been a banner year for the actors of Historic Philadelphia, Inc.

“I was tearing up listening to John Adams ask if anyone heard him or cared... in the place where these conversations happened. There’s one portrait in existence, but most historians agree it is likely not a…