Accuracy matters. Especially when telling the stories of real people. That’s why every spring, Historic Philadelphia, Inc. (HPI) hosts the “Benstitute,” an intensive, immersive training program for the Once Upon A Nation (OUAN) Storytellers and History Makers.
Named after one of our favorite founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, the Benstitute curriculum is all-encompassing. OUAN Benstitute planners teach a remarkable variety of techniques and tips in storytelling, historical interpretation and visitor engagement best practices.
HPI’s partners, including the National Park Service, historians and guest scholars are invited to teach and train Benstitute attendees. Stories and programs are vetted by HPI historians as well as those from the National Park Service and other experts.
Benstitute encourages front-line cast members to dive deep into their assigned stories or historical characters, conducting research to learn behind-the-scenes details about their persona, delving into the families, background and occupations of the people they bring to life.
Benstitute training also places emphasis on training the cast to actively engage with visitors. In addition to captivating visitors with their stories of America’s past, the Storytellers are trained to be historic district ambassadors, knowledgeable about food, attractions and fun things to do. For the History Makers, there’s a lot of training that goes into being able to answer visitors’ questions about cheesesteaks, ATMs and other 21st century amenities – while still staying in character. The cast also practices more formal speech patterns from previous centuries. You might even detect a hint of a British accent here and there.
