Join the McCarl Coverlet Gallery for our fourth season of History Dinner Theater. Visitors will dine on a gourmet three-course meal of their choosing while they are regaled by the historic tales, music, poetry, and personal accounts of some of the most fascinating historic figures in the United States. This season, visitors will meet Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury; be regaled by the unsettling tales of Edgar Allen Poe; explore Christmas in the Great Depression with Eleanor Roosevelt; meet with some fantastically entertaining Civil War spies,
Elizabeth Ban Lew and Mary Elizabeth Bowser; and listen to stories of what life was like in the days of Shakespeare and Elizabeth.The series will run from September 2018 to April 2019 and brings a fresh and exciting approach to history in a way you have never experienced it before.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Thursday, December 6, 2018, 6 pm to 9 pm
The Fred M. Rogers Center
All Ages Welcome!
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, “First Lady of the World,” forever changed the role of the first lady through her active participation in politics and humanitarian efforts. She was the longest-serving First Lady throughout her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four terms in office. Millions of people who never met her felt a bond that verged on kinship. Eleanor’s was a remarkable and inspiring life, a voyage of self-discovery. She triumphed publicly over private despair, transformed from a shy, lonely woman to a national leader in her own right. In addition to being a diplomat and an activist, she was a United Nations spokeswoman. Despite the fact that she never ran for political office, she was entrenched in politics. Eleanor Roosevelt was a tireless advocate for programs for the needy and a was champion of human rights.
Ticket price includes a menu choice of one of the
following selections:
Herb-Crusted Flank Steak: Savor a perfectly tender herb- crusted flank steak served with roasted tomato jus.
Chicken Marsala: Pan seared chicken breast with Marsala mushroom sauce.
Buy Tickets Online! Registration closes Friday November 30, 2018
Civil War Espionage
Friday, March 15, 2019, 6 pm to 9 pm
The Fred M. Rogers Center
All Ages Welcome!
Mary Elizabeth Bowser was born as a slave to owner John Van Lew, a wealthy hardware merchant. His daughter, Elizabeth Van Lew, and her mother freed her father’s slaves after his death in 1843. After the war began, Elizabeth Van Lew asked Mary to help her in the elaborate spying system she had established in the Confederate capitol. Despite Elizabeth being a staunch abolitionist and loyal to the Union, she was a prominent member of Richmond because of her father’s wealth and status. But her views and actions
(attending to Union soldiers at Libby Prison with food and medicine, in particular) earned her the enmity of her community. Elizabeth used this to her advantage — taking on a slightly crazy, muttering, slovenly personae that earned her the nickname “Crazy Bet” — to cover up her serious efforts to help the Union.
Ticket price includes a menu choice of one of the following selections:
Seared Salmon: Seasoned seared salmon steak.
Roasted Beef Tenderloin: Sliced beef tenderloin with Cabernet wine reduction.
From the Streets of Shakespeare to the Court of Elizabeth
Friday, April 26, 2019, 6 pm to 9 pm
The Fred M. Rogers Center
All Ages Welcome!
Historian Tames Allen appears in an authentic lower-middle-class Elizabethan costume that would be representative of the baker’s wife, the butcher’s wife or the candle maker. These are people who had a trade that was valued in their
community but didn’t necessarily own land. She talks about what these people ate, what they studied in school or apprenticeships, and what it was like to go to the doctor.
In the second part of this program, Tames changes into an authentic, 62-piece Elizabethan court costume with full makeup, assisted by one or two members of the audience. As she dresses, she describes each piece of clothing and its significance. Once fully dressed, she talks about the life and times in Elizabeth’s court. She focuses on the pleasures and duties of living at court, how marriage was for political gain and what it was like to attend the queen.
Ticket price includes a menu choice of one of the following selections:
Sun-dried Tomato Ravioli: Delicate pasta squares stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and mascarpone cheese, served with
tarragon fondue.
Seared Chicken and Roasted Shrimp: Pan-seared chicken and roasted shrimp.
All proceeds benefit the educational programming, collections care, and exhibitions at the Foster and Muriel McCarl Coverlet Gallery.