Redcoats and Revolutionaries

Pop-Up History Events

For many smaller events we can bring a selection of people — soldiers and civilians alike — as a stand-up attraction. Rather than pitching lots of tents, we can roam a site or venue, interacting with the audience in 1^st person, or as costumed interpreters discussing history and the use of equipment we have brought. This can be pretty hands on, with most of our equipment being safe to handle (we even have inert muskets without sharp flints).

We can perform at indoor or outdoor venues. We've set a blacksmiths shop up on the lawn of a cathedral, and at Leicester's "Military History Live" in 2018, we even wheeled our cannon into a conference hall!

Living History Events

Living History is the term we use to describe events where we expect to be resident at a site with tents and other large hardware, whether it's a single-day or multi-day event over a weekend. For these kind of events we will set up an encampment, depending on the availability of our volunteer members this is usually a military encampment, a number of crafts, and a tavern — the Cock and Bull.

We can perform scheduled events throughout the day, such as tactical demonstrations where we test the skill and training of our troops, or skirmishes: small scale battle re-enactments with live gunpowder.

But most of the time we spend in camp talking to the audience, showing them 18th Century crafts, martial discipline (like basic training, musket loading etc), games and pastimes and more.

Dramatic Presentation

At events where we are the main attraction, we can perform a rolling scenario where each sketch build the narrative to a crescendo, resulting in a dramatic battle between Redcoats and Revolutionaries.

An example: a pastor delivers a seditious sermon to his congregation (based on a real speech), which provokes the local British commander to arrest the fiery preacher. Later a British guard is captured by rebels in retaliation and a prisoner exchange is arranged. The exchange is going well until a lone rifleman fires, setting off a confrontation that ends with the officer being wounded. Determined to drive the rebels away, the British column advances on the 'town' and a pitched battle ensues — what can't be decided through cannon and musket fire ends on the tip of a bayonet!

This is just one example of the many scenarios we can perform to give a real sense of the conflict and intrigues of the American Revolutionary War.