“Storytelling is our process of telling who we are. We have to tell stories. […] Interpretation and imagination are absolutely integral to telling our history.”
– Dr. Edward Lengel, historian and author
“There’s a reason [storytelling] is a primal need for people and that’s because it humanizes history – we start to see things that we can relate to.”
– Samuel Roukin, actor
>>>
On April 25, 2016, we partnered with the Virginia Historical Society for another memorable installment of their “History on Tap” series. The event featured the Season 3 series premiere of AMC’s “Turn: Washington’s Spies.” Following the premiere, Blue Bee Cider’s own Cider Evangelist, Brian Ahnmark, took attendees through a tasting of our Hewe’s Crab Heirloom Series cider and President and CEO of VHS Paul Levengood moderated a panel discussion with Samuel Roukin (the actor who plays Capt. Simcoe in “Turn”), Andy Edmunds (Director of the Virginia Film Office), and Dr. Edward Lengel and Lynn Price (from the University of Virginia’s Washington Papers). The event concluded with a book signing by Dr. Lengel of his book, First Entrepreneur: How George Washington Built His – and the Nation’s – Prosperity.
As Blue Bee Cider’s Storyteller, it probably comes as no surprise that my favorite part of the evening was the discussion about historical storytelling. We learned that the writers for each episode of “Turn” are on set during filming, giving them a role not only in the creation of the story through script writing, but also as resources in bringing those words to life. Because there are multiple directors for each season, a showrunner – often also known as an executive producer – helps maintain a tonal continuity across episodes and ensures the core storyline is consistent.
Throughout the discussion, Samuel Roukin spoke about his portrayal of Capt. Simcoe and Dr. Edward Lengel provided perspective about the real historical figure. Both Mr. Roukin and Dr. Lengel shared a commitment to interpreting history in a way that preserves the humanity of a person rather than creating archetypal figures simplified down to heroes or villains. In the case of “Turn”, this has included everything from the portrayal of George Washington shown in a state of controversial vulnerability during the Valley Forge episode in Season 2, to Mr. Roukin’s choice to give Capt. Simcoe – arguably the show’s most fearsome antagonist – a gentle, slightly higher voice.
One comment that particularly stood out was made by Dr. Lengel in response to a question by Mr. Roukin about historical records and accuracy of first-hand accounts. Dr. Lengel explained how historians are often unable to get a full emotional picture of a person in their first-hand accounts because you must always think about what influences may be at play. Is the writer unveiling all actions and feelings as they occurred or rather recording what they wish us to see in them (and what they wish to see in themselves)?
This is really the crux of any storytelling – how a story is told reflects something about the person doing the telling, and the way that story is then interpreted by the listener also speaks to the experiences and perspectives of that audience. At Blue Bee, we are committed to sharing our story with you, and that’s one of the valuable parts of this blog. You are able to hear our story from the diverse voices that make up our staff and community. And you in turn share your experiences with Blue Bee Cider, not only by reading about us here, but by actively taking part in building our story every time you drink a glass of our cider, visit our tasting room, or share us with others in your life. Here’s to you and here’s to our continuing story together!
For photos from the event, please visit VHS’s event album on Facebook.
And you can now get your very own bottle of Hewe’s Crab limited release cider at the VHS gift shop!
-Nicole Martorana
