“Goodnight, Captain White” Needs You to Solve Mystery

 History, Salem Event  No Responses »
Nov 102016
 

Interactive theatre is the calling card of History Alive, Inc. productions, most notably Cry Innocent which you may have seen during Halloween in Salem, but also with a relatively newer production called Goodnight, Captain White. This comedy murder mystery will have its final performances of the winter season Nov. 18-20 at the historical Hawthorne Hotel.

gncw-castIt’s 1830. “All friends and well wishers are invited to attend” the retirement party of Captain Joseph White’s favorite ship, the Caroline. But this magnanimous invitation lures a host of enemies and ill-wishers into the perfect opportunity to murder the rich, old captain.  Allegiances twist and turn. Foibles are exposed, depravities revealed.

Then it is up to the audience (that means YOU) and an under cover Daniel Webster to figure out who-dunnit and how. The creators of Cry Innocent give Salem— as odd as this sounds, but you have to be there— a crime to laugh about.

Those who love Salem history and also a good laugh will have this one more weekend to take in Goodnight, Captain White before History Alive, Inc. puts the play to bed for a long winter’s nap.

That’s correct. We said history. This tale is based upon the real-life murder of Capt. Joseph White, a 19th century shipmaster and trader from Salem, MA,

Performances of the interactive who-dunit will be in the library of the historic Hawthorne Hotel, November 18th, 19th and 20th . Shows are at 7:30pm on Friday and Saturday and 5:30pm on Sunday.

“We’ve had so much fun with a great, sold-out run this year, including a fund raiser for the Saltonstall School’s play ground and an immersive weekend at the gorgeous Jeremiah Lee Mansion in Marblehead,” Kristina Wacome Stevick, History Alive, Inc’s artistic director reflected. “But we’re developing a new piece, a world premier, and we want to turn our attention there for the winter.”

But what would hibernation be without a big meal beforehand? Therefore, from this late November run, $10 from each ticket will be donated to the Salem Pantry, which serves Salem’s children who struggle with food insecurity.

The November shows of Goodnight, Captain White will also feature a new performer in the ensemble, improv. comedian Zach Reynolds from Portsmouth, NH.

“Preparing for Captain White has been a high-energy, collaborative process,” he explains. “The whole cast is hilarious, and with Sarah Mann’s direction we’ve been able to make the ingenious script come to life in surprising and side-splitting ways. I’ve loved getting to know my character, Frank, and discovering how such an apparently dimwitted guy can have a duplicitous, conniving dark side.”

The play will resurface once in late June as part of Cry Innocent’s 25th anniversary celebration, a festival which will highlight the spin-off projects and new work forged by Cry Innocent ensemble members past and present. It will then travel to Edinburgh, Scotland and the South Shore where there are additional historical connections to the story.

Tickets for the shows of Goodnight, Captain White, by Mark Stevick can be purchased at goodnightcaptainwhitehh.bpt.me.

Take a Tour of the “Other” Salem

 History, Salem Event  No Responses »
Nov 062016
 

There are tours a plenty in the night to give you a fright here in Salem, especially during Haunted Happenings, but there are more than a few by day that serve to put on display the architectural and social history of the great seaport town of Salem. For example among the tours today are:

Ropes Mansion Tours

ropes-mansionRecognized as one of New England’s most significant and thoroughly documented historic houses, the Ropes Mansion, located at 318 Essex Street, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This Georgian Colonial, built around 1727, was home to four generations of the Ropes family. Filled with original furnishings, the Ropes Mansion contains superb examples of 18th and 19th-century furniture, ceramics and glass, silver, kitchenwares, textiles and personal objects. You can tour the house from noon to 4pm.

U.S. Custom House Tour

Take a self-guided tour through the U.S. Custom House that was built in 1819 to house the offices of the U.S. Customs Service. During the height of Salem’s East Indies trade, the Customs Service in Salem collected millions of dollars in taxes on incoming cargo. These taxes provided vital financial support for the new United States government. For three years this building was the workplace of the famous American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne’s experiences during his stint in the Custom House inspired his most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter.

While the 1-2pm tour is free, reservations are required. Please call  978-740-1650 or visit the Visitor Center at 2 New Liberty Street on the day of your visit to make a reservation

Derby and Narbonne House Tour

This tour, presented by the National Park Service, is a ranger-led program that leads visitors through two distinct historic homes. The Derby House, constructed in 1762 was the first home of Elias Hasket and Elizabeth Crowninshield Derby. It is an exemplary example of a wealthy merchant’s Georgian home and is furnished to reflect the Derbys’ 20-year long residence in the house. The Narbonne House, built in 1675, spans nearly 300 years of history as a home of successful businessmen and their families. The Narbonne House is unfurnished and contains displays of some of the nearly 150,000 archaeological artifacts excavated from the home’s backyard.

While the 2:30-3:30pm tour is free, reservations are required. Please call  978-740-1650 or visit the Visitor Center at 2 New Liberty Street on the day of your visit to make a reservation.

No Trick, Salem Treats You to a Halloween PARTY!

 History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals  No Responses »
Oct 272016
 

be-safeHalloween is no longer just for kids and adults with kids. October 31st in Salem Ma has had a tradition of proving just that. This year, even being on a Monday night, we expect record crowds of adults to converge on Washington Street like a horde of zombies for completion of our month-long Haunted Happenings celebration.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF) “Millennial consumers (ages 18-34) are now the most likely of all adult generations to participate in Halloween. They’re also one of the top spenders on Halloween costumes, spending an average $42.39 compared with $31.03 for all adults.”

This youthful population segment has big plans for those costumes too: their intent to attend parties is up 10.9% from 2006, reports the NRF.

Winifred Sanderson: Sisters, All Hallow’s Eve has become a night of frolic, where children wear costumes and run amok!

Sarah: Amok! [dances around]  Amok, amok, amok, amok, amok.

And… that brings us back to Salem Ma. We are having a party. Millennials and every other older generation are invited but we want this night of fun and frolic to be a safe one.

This is a link to Halloween Night’s Be Smart, Be Safe, Have Fun suggestions flyer that we urge you to read and make use of. Simple advice is offered, such as if you have to drive here, park someplace else, like Beverly or Danvers. Don’t bring liquor. Don’t bring real swords. Don’t bring fake swords or anything that looks like a weapon. They WILL BE confiscated.

The second part of the flyer has the day & evening festivities schedule, from Shock Top Beer Garden, ( 21+) on Federal St. at Washington Street, to all the different bands at various locations in the Downtown District, to the 10:15pm Halloween Finale Fireworks at Washington Street & Bridge Street.

After the closing fireworks show, please be respectful as you leave town. You may not know this but many parts of the Downtown District are residential. There are people trying to get some sleep because they ARE going to work Tuesday. That brick structure you are leaning up against may look like an empty office building, but it is really a refurbished apartment complex.

And if you are using social media to share with all your friends not lucky enough to be here, consider using the tags #SalemMA and @hauntdhappnings in your pictures & tweets.

Have a great time, we made this party for you!

So You Think You Know About the Salem Witch Trials?

 History, Salem Event, SMS News  No Responses »
Oct 232016
 

wtmtalksYou’ve read The Crucible in high school. You went to see movies like Salem’s Lot and Hocus Pocus. You may be a fan of the TV show Salem. You know a lot about Salem. Or do you?

For example (spoiler alert) when visitors ask one of our Info Guides to give directions as to where the witches were burned, our response is that no one was “burnt at the stake” in Salem for allegations of witchcraft. Nineteen were tried & hung, another was tortured to death and four died in prison awaiting trial.

Curious about whether what else you know is true or not? Come to Salem this Thursday, Oct. 27 at noon for a 15 minute Tent Talk discussion of The Salem Witch Trials: 10 Misconceptions with Kate Fox,  Executive Director, Destination Salem, Office of Tourism and Cultural Affairs for the City of Salem. It is sponsored by the Salem Award Foundation for Human Rights and Social Justice.

You are invited to separate the facts from the fiction, ask questions, and gain a firmer understanding of what happened here between 1692 and 1693. The Tent Talk discussion is free of charge.

The tent will be set up, appropriately, at the Witch Trials Memorial, located on Liberty Street between Charter and Derby Streets.

Drawing upon the lessons of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, the mission of the Salem Award Foundation is to promote awareness, understanding and empathy in support of human rights, tolerance and social justice. It advances social change through educational programming, stewardship of the Salem Witch Trials Memorial as a place of reflection, and by awarding and celebrating contemporary champions who embody its mission.

Full Moon to Bring Out Crowds to PEM Event

 Salem Event  No Responses »
Oct 192016
 

moon-landingMoon Landings were frequent enough to generate parties and conversations a plenty during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Peabody Essex Museum invites you to relive some of those days during its next PEM/PM late night party, Moon Landing, this Thursday, Oct. 20 from 6-9pm.

The moon has been the subject of art, literature, music, movies and TV as much if not more than most any other topic. It’s always been there, up in the sky. What better topic for the monthly festivities at the PEM where the community is invited.

“Come celebrate the moon with a tantalizing night of lunar festivities. Listen in on discussions about the importance of the moon, hear from artists featured in the new Art & Nature Center Exhibition ‘Lunar Attraction’ and interact with minerals found on the moon. From the race to make a base on the moon to cheese and werewolves, this lunar celebration is sure to be out of this world!”

While you are possibly doing the Moonwalk dance or mooning over someone at the party (but please don’t moon anyone), here are some recent data:

  • Moon Distance: 224,833 miles
  • Most Current Full Moon: Oct 16 12:23 AM
  • Next New Moon: Oct 30, 2016 1:38 PM
  • Next Full Moon: Nov 14, 2016 8:52 AM

Speaking of Moon Landings, just in case you need a conversation starter, here are the dates of the six manned American Moon Landings and the actual time spent on the ground (in case it comes up in a trivia question):

  • Apollo 11: July 20, 1969, stay of 21 hours and 36 minutesmoon-blog-post
  • Apollo 12: November 19, 1969, stay of 31 hours and 31 minutes
  • Apollo 14: February 5, 1971, stay of 33 hours and 31 minutes
  • Apollo 15: July 30, 1971. stay of 66 hours and 55 minutes
  • Apollo 16: April 21, 1972, stay of 71 hours and 21 minutes
  • Apollo 17: December 11,1972, stay of 75 hours

PEM members, college students and Salem residents (with ID) free, nonmembers $12.

The Peabody Essex Museum is located at 161 Essex St, Salem, MA., United States, North American continent, Western Hemisphere, Planet Earth.

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