Photo by Matt Nagle
DRAMATIC RETELLING. Cecil B. DeMille (portrayed by James Van Leishout) directs an audience volunteer to act out the story he tells of narrowly escaping an avalanche on Mt. Rainier in 1924, part of Washington State History Museum’s “Ghosts of the Great Hall: Disaster! Natural Catastrophes in the Pacific Northwest.”
On Oct. 18, visitors to the Washington State History Museum will get a chance to see some real “ghosts” walking around. Well, sort of. Actually, they are professional actors portraying colorful historical figures who played a part in one of Washington state’s many natural disasters. For this one-day-only event “Ghosts of the Great Hall: Disaster! Natural Catastrophes in the Pacific Northwest,” these non-frightening apparitions will guide patrons through stories of avalanches, volcanic eruptions and blizzards that they survived – but just barely.
Tour guide for the living exhibit will be Fay Fuller, the first woman to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier on August 10, 1890. A schoolteacher and journalist from Yelm, Fuller made the ascent with four male climbers when she was just 20 years old, and without any of the modern climbing gear available today. In fact, she did it dressed in a climbing outfit she designed herself that included woolen hose and a flannel bloomer suit, which would have been considered quite immodest back in her day. She smeared her face with charcoal and a paste made from flour and water to shield her skin from the extreme elements. Fuller’s legacy lives on through Fay’s Peak on Mt. Rainier, named after her.
After introducing herself and talking about her experiences, Fuller will answer questions, then lead tours through several stops, one of which will be to meet one of the greatest film directors of all time, Cecil B. DeMille, “The Ten Commandments” and “The Greatest Show on Earth,” just two of the more than 80 films he directed. In 1924, DeMille and his crew narrowly escaped a major avalanche on Mt. Rainier while shooting the silent film, “The Golden Bed.”
Another featured character will be Harry Truman, a businessman and resort owner at Spirit Lake on Mount St. Helens, the “man who would not go” from the mountain when it erupted in 1980.
Featuring four entertainers altogether, the “ghosts” will be under the direction of Katherine Billings, who also directed “Much Ado About Nothing” and “Twelfth Night” for the Washington Shakespeare Festival at Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia. Dressed in period costumes, the actors perform interactive dialogues depicting their character’s thoughts, feelings and reactions as they describe in vivid detail the natural disaster that unfolded around them. They will then take questions from the audience. Preparation for their roles includes learning historically accurate information in order to answer any questions that may be asked by their audiences.
Guests will receive a map of the Great Hall of Washington History to help them navigate through exhibits of artifacts, photos and other documents that will be on display as well.
“Ghosts of the Great Hall” is perfect for people of any age, and the program will be particularly effective in teaching children of school age some of the lesser-known history of our state.
Stephanie Lile, head of education for the History Museum, noted that “Ghosts of the Great Hall” is a popular annual event in that it allows guests to “interact with history. This way, the information sticks in their heads longer because they’re watching history come to life.”
“Ghosts of the Great Hall: Disaster! Natural Catastrophes in the Pacific Northwest” is open to the public 1-4 p.m. Oct. 18 and is free with regular museum admission. For more information, call (888) 238-4373 or visit http://www.washingtonhistory.org.
