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This summer, expect more huzzahs as folks dressed in chitterlings go boguing around Old City.
Anticipating increased interest in the nation’s 250th birthday, Historic Philadelphia Inc. is adding more 10 performers, including costumed characters portraying Revolutionary War heroes such as James Forten, David Rittenhouse and Julia Stockton Rush. Keeping with tradition, there will also be plainclothed storytellers stationed at the designated “Once Upon a Nation” outdoor benches.
“Our History Makers don’t break character,” said Amy Needle, president and CEO of the organization, which stations costumed historic characters out on the cobbled stone streets.
“If you want to take a selfie with one of our History Makers, they may say, ‘Oh! A portrait!’ and will pose with you,” she said. “When someone asks a History Maker a question, like, ‘Where’s the best cheesesteak?’, they might, in a fun way, be able to direct you.”
Johanna Dunphy, a longtime Historic Philadelphia actor, leads new performers through miming games to get them ready for the 2026 tourism season. (Peter Crimmins/WHYY)
Needle said that they launch a casting call every year, but this year is special.
“We had more people audition than ever before,” she said. “We’ve hired more people than in the past, certainly since the [COVID-19] pandemic.”
The new hires will join the seasoned team of current performers. Needle said the organization has a nearly 100% retention rate. Last year, they lost just one actress, who left to play a princess at Disneyland Paris.
“That’s the only thing that’s better than this,” said Johanna Dunphy, a longtime performer who sometimes appears as Dolley Madison.
Johanna Dunphy, a longtime Historic Philadelphia actor, leads an introductory training session for newly hired performers at the Free Quaker Meeting building. (Nick Kariuki/Billy Penn)
The new hires will be schooled in the art of urban history performance. This week, they gathered at the historic Free Quaker Meeting building on Arch Street for the first session of the Benstitute, Historic Philadelphia’s annual training program.