Actor Performances

In the Cabinet Room

Enhance your evening event at the Museum with an actor portraying the painter Francis Carpenter, who in 1863 was invited to the White House to create a painting commemorating the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.

As guests walk into the Cabinet Room of The White House Years Journey the actor as Mr. Carpenter will engage with your guests and speak with them about the tension surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation during this time in American history. The actor will repeat his performance and answer questions as guests continue to visit this room throughout the evening.

We invite you to add this actor performance, which is based on actor availability, to your event as our Facilities Rental staff work with you to plan your evening at the Museum.

In the Cabinet Room: $100 per hour

At Ford’s Theater

Give your guests the opportunity to learn more about the nation in the weeks following Lincoln’s assassination by adding one of our actors portraying either Mrs. Wade or Jason Knox. The actor will take your guests back to that time as they perform a short, scripted piece and answer questions inside the Ford’s Theater room of The White House Years Journey. 

Jason Knox’s remembrance is based on his letter about what he saw that night. Though he promised his father he would “never set foot in a theater or a saloon,” he was at Ford’s Theater on April 14, 1865, “only to witness the saddest tragedy ever enacted in the country.”

Mrs. Wade’s performance is based on a letter she wrote about her brother, who “ran to the presidential box and was told to get a doctor.”

We invite you to add this actor performance, which is based on actor availability, to your Museum event with our Facilities Rental staff as we help you plan your evening at the Museum.

At Ford’s Theater Actor: $100 per hour

From My Front Porch

Enjoy a 12-minute, one actor performance on a specially-made set piece during a Museum event to see Mrs. Rose Allen doing her housework on her front porch while taking your guests back to 1863 Springfield.  The show will delight your guests with stories of the Lincoln family and The Civil War.

We invite you to add this performance, based on actor availability, to your event with our Facilities Rental staff as we help you plan your evening at the Museum.    

From My Front Porch                $100