The destination for history
The art of historical storytelling
Kindra Jones (a.k.a. The Lady Knight) brings history to life through costumed interpretation in schools, museums and heritage sites across the UK.
Here, in our penultimate article for National Storytelling Week, Kindra discusses the key to historical storytelling.
Stories are powerful. Telling a good story can transport you to any place, any time. My job weaves the audience into the story, inviting them to become a part of it. Whether they meet me as a Tudor queen, escapee pirate or Victorian explorer, they are given a part to play and asked to enter another world, whatever their age. Through the power of a tale, they are encouraged to think, to not just watch history, but to participate in it. The trick (so to speak) is in the detail – the gestures, the right shoes, even a well-timed glance helps. The art is in not just telling the story, but becoming it.
History for me is an adventure and I have used every opportunity I can to experience the past. From sailing on a medieval ship, to casting my own sword and sleeping in a roundhouse, living these moments helped me to connect to the past. So, by making the experiences I offer more tangible, I hope to do the same for my audience. I see every moment as an opportunity – a chance to explore the past and grasp its lessons. Whether it’s an after dinner talk, a medieval school day, character meet and greet, or my book Norwich in 100 Dates, my aim, always, is to make history interesting and accessible.
After all, history is just stories from the past and everyone likes a good story.
By Kindra Jones
