Have you ever wished you knew what the Wright brothers’ might have thought after their first thrilling flight, or how Samuel Clemens became Mark Twain? Now through June 10, join us for our spring dramatic programs as they are performed throughout Greenfield Village – and you just might get some of your answers!

We have a full lineup of short presentations and plays that will help bring history to life. Details of each program are below, along with their performance location and times offered. A new series of presentations with expanded performance days will soon be offered during the summer months, so make sure to stop in now and catch a few of these while you can!

“C” is for Citizenship (Scotch Settlement School)
Miss Nardin or Mr. Chapman will help you brush up on your 19th-century civics lessons in a one-room schoolhouse in this engaging and informative 20-minute interactive program.  A lively lesson plan focuses on citizenship as “students” have fun with true and false questions, spelling, and even some tongue twisters.

Monday through Friday; 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. & 1:45 p.m.

Edison’s Light Fantastic (Menlo Park Yard)

Meet Thomas Edison in this 15-minute play and hear about one of his most “electrifying” inventions!  This one-man show gives a glimpse into the inspiring life, work and mind of Thomas Edison as he speaks to a group of reporters visiting his complex on the day after his first public demonstration of the world’s first practical incandescent light bulb on December 31, 1879.

Daily shows through June 17; 11:15 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m.

Elijah: The Real McCoy (Town Hall)
Learn about fascinating inventor Elijah McCoy in this 15-minute dramatization.  His most important inventions were the automatic lubricating cup in 1872 that revolutionized the industrial machine industry and the graphite lubricator in 1915.  Your imagination will travel through eight decades as you discover why his life and work remain an inspiration to this day, and how one of his 57 patents got trains into the station ahead of time!

Monday through Friday; 10:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m. & 1:30 p.m.

Home from Kitty Hawk (Wright Home)
Experience the thrill of the Wright brothers’ first flight as they take you back to that amazing and inspiring day in this 23-minute play.  Fly back in time to December 23, 1903 with Orville, Wilbur and their sister Katharine as they take you on a dramatic journey through their experiments, struggles and joys, just after the brothers return home from Kitty Hawk.  They recount their amazing and inspiring first flights that made history on December 17 of that year and forever changed the world.

Daily shows through June 17; 10:45 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. & 1:30 p.m.

Sing-along with Stephen Foster (Sounds of America Gallery)
Meet American composer Stephen Foster and hear some of his original songs, plus pick up  a song sheet and sing along with other early American favorites!

Thursday through Saturday; 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. & 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Tales from Huck Finn (near Scotch Settlement School)

Meet Huckleberry Finn, one of Mark Twain’s most beloved characters, and hear a few of his memorable adventures (and even how Samuel Clemens chose his pseudonym Mark Twain!).  Favorite scenes and escapades from 1885’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and 1876’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer come alive in this high-energy 15-minute show.

Monday through Friday through June 16; 10:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m. & 1:30 p.m.

Tally’s Tales (Susquehanna Plantation)
Share the inspirational music and stories of slavery and endurance in this interactive 15-minute dramatic presentation.  Tally was a cook on the 700-acre Susquehanna Plantation in St. Mary’s Country, Maryland and she certainly used many of the innovative survival tactics described in this play.  The reenactment of a “Buh Rabbit” tale told in verse is always a hit with schoolchildren and families!

Monday through Friday; 11:00 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m. & 1:30 p.m.

Votes for All (Martha-Mary Chapel)
Meet inspirational suffragists and experience the struggles they encountered to earn the right to vote in this lively 20-minute “rally.”  Suffrage anthems, student participation and powerful words from women including Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton are all part of this rousing presentation.

Monday through Friday; 11:00 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m. & 1:45 p.m.

Have you seen any of these presentations before? What other stories represented in Greenfield Village would you like to see offered?