Engaging audiences through costumed staff at museums and historic sites is one of the most effective ways to interpret the past for a public used to multimedia presentations on their TVs and computers.

Here, David Allison, who has worked at several museums known for effective enactments, provides:

• the fascinating stories of three large living history museums as they adapt to changing audience expectations.


• a solid overview of the types of interpretation that living history museums use.


• best practices (and practices for you to avoid) from the reams of data and studies compiled by evaluators over the past 10 years.


• an exploration of the the intersection of public history, individual agency, and business imperatives at museums and historic sites.

Living History: Effective Costumed Interpretation and Enactment at Museums and Historic Sites looks at the history of these compelling techniques, provides best practices and strategies for implementing them today, and provides a roadmap for the future of costumed interpretation.