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The last time I wrote about work, I said I'd rant about Revolutionary City in a future entry. Since I had to deal with it again today-- though it wasn't nearly as horrific as I'd anticipated-- I might as well go ahead and get it out of my system.

Back in March, Colonial Williamsburg changed its approach to interpretation and the portrayal of real people from the 18th century in a way that I feel is sorely misguided. Previously, we had a number of "character interpreters" who each portrayed a particular individual from the era; many of these people had put years of research into their interpretations, and they were just as much at ease interacting with visitors in an unscripted setting as they were in scripted programs. (For as long as I can remember, CW actually presented very few fully "scripted" events; most of the time, there was plenty of room left for bringing the audience into the action.) But declining ticket sales, coupled with the fact that many of our character interpretation programs were accessible to anyone walking down the street whether they had a ticket or not, led upper management to change things drastically.

In late 2005, all the character interpreters had to essentially re-apply for their jobs; or, more accurately, they lost their jobs and had to audition for roles in Revolutionary City. This new concept was touted as a way to bring history to life for a jaded modern audience; but it has proven to be far more stilted, tedious, and uninvolving than the more modest programs it displaced. It's a series of scripted scenes spread over two days, the first covering the period immediately before the Revolution, the second covering the war years. An outside scriptwriter was brought in to create this play, and the standards of historical accuracy are far from what the Foundation used to demand. For example, Day Two has a scene where Benedict Arnold rides into Williamsburg and declares martial law. This never happened; while troops under Arnold's command did enter the city, he was never here.

But the inaccuracies pale compared to the lifeless presentation. While some of the former character interpreters did secure roles in Rev City, their performance style has deteriorated under its influence. Apart from one or two subtle, charismatic actors, bellowing and screeching are the rule. The situation is made even worse by the microphones; because many of these people are loud enough without amplification. There are also numerous dead spots between scenes, and sometimes within scenes; and while the program flows better now than it did at the start, it's still plagued by moments where the audience doesn't quite know how to react. Worst of all, most of the actors seem comfortable only with their scripts; improvisation, and dealing with the public in a natural manner, are beyond them, even the ones who used to talk to people effortlessly.

What I deal with most of the time is the so-called "managed access". Colonial Williamsburg is located within the city of Williamsburg; while the buildings and trade shops require admission tickets, the streets are public streets, so anyone can walk, jog, bike, etc. whether they've got a ticket or not. But for Rev City, CW obtained a permit from the city to block access to the last block of Duke of Gloucester Street, by the Capitol, for the two-hour duration of the program each day. And as the lowest people on the totem pole, it falls to us OI's to stand at the entrances and tell people they need a ticket to go in.

This has caused a lot of problems. For one thing, there are two restaurants and three stores in that block, and telling people they need to go around to a back entrance to get their meal doesn't go over very well. There are also locals who object to the whole idea and, even though we have a special pass for city residents that gets them in, insist on making a show of their displeasure, and treating those of us at the gates as if we're personally responsible for the situation. And then there are the bicyclists who don't understand why it's disruptive to ride straight through a street scene, and the joggers, and the people who are just determined to be rude no matter what. It can be extremely stressful dealing with it on a regular basis.

Fortunately, today was a relatively easy day. It wasn't that busy, and the people I did have to turn away were invariably polite and understanding. But it's still an unpleasant situation, and I'm glad I've got enough variety in my job now that I don't have to work the Rev City gates every day. I doubt I could stand that any more than I could take being in the buildings every day, or giving school group tours every day. It's too much of the same thing over and over again.