Talks & Presentations
Meredith Bean McMath has given hundreds of talks and interactive presentations on topics ranging from writing and theatre arts to historic renovation and Loudoun Civil War History (with a focus on the extraordinary history of Loudoun County, Virginia Civil War women). Children to adults!
Her creative work has led her to speak at museums, historical societies, writing organizations, community groups, schools and libraries, and McMath's living history presentations have appeared on The History Channel and at museums such as The Newseum, The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, and The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. |
August 2021 presentation at Leesburg's Dodona Manor (Photo courtesy of the George C. Marshall International Center)
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THE ART OF WRITING
- Life in Short: The Art of Storytelling
- Writing the History Fiction Novel The basics: plot lines, compelling characters, and historical accuracy, with an emphasis on the art of storytelling. How passion about your subject leads to the best writing possible.
- Creating Pella’s Angel
A discussion of the Historic Fiction writing process in the creation of Pella's Angel, the author's Civil War novel. The talk sheds light on little known historical facts regarding Loudoun's Civil War history.
ON THEATRE
- The Art of Improvisation
How to allow your mind to create on the fly. - How to Make Convincing Stage Romance
Yes, there are tricks to the trade! How to pull your actors into a romantic scene so that your audience goes with them! - Swords and Stunts
Need a serious fight or a hilarious one - all the techniques to train the actors, and make it come alive for your audience. - Theatre Magic with Costumes and Props
McMath has over 40 years of experience creating costumes and props and is pleased to share her secrets for success. - Become a Better Actor from Audition to Stage
Professional audition techniques, and how to create depth in your dramatic characters or get the audience to laugh at your comic performances. - Royals and Rustics: a Guide to Shakespeare
McMath has studied with the American Shakespeare Center and directed several Shakespeare productions. Yes, there is a technique to understanding and interpreting the Bard for your audience, and it's all in this talk. - Crash Course for Playwrights (Middle School through Adult)
From set, stage and lighting to costumes and the actor's themselves, a playwright's job is to further the plot, reveal more about a character or set up the audience for a later pay-off. Find out more in this Crash Course.
AND FOR THEATRE YOUTUBE INTERVIEWS AND PERFORMANCES, CLICK HERE...
ON LOUDOUN COUNTY, VIRGINIA CIVIL WAR HISTORY
- A Hard History: The Only Union Troop in Confederate Virginia
The Loudoun Rangers were created from the families of pro-Union Quakers and German settlers. They were up against incredible odds in Confederate Virginia but hold on to the very end. Hear their extraordinary story. - Everyone Should Restore an old Tavern... Once
The author takes us through what it was like for she and her husband to take on the restoration of a ca. 1820 Loudoun County tavern. How they made crucial decisions to support the integrity of the building while learning the significance of each room. Also presents the artifacts they found, including Civil War items. - A Child's View of the Civil War
The lives of farm and city children during America's Civil War are presented using diaries, letters and other visual helps. During the course of the program, one child is dressed in Civil War clothing, and the classroom is taught 19th century games and songs. - Three Women Journalists of the Civil War
The amazing true story of Lida and Lizzie Dutton and Sarah Steer, 3 young Quaker women of Loudoun County, Virginia, who made it their business to publish a newspaper for Union soldiers. Subscriptions were taken and sent for Union Soldiers' Aide, despite starving conditions in Loudoun. The paper was filled with humor and pathos, as they sought to boost the flagging morale of the Union troops that passed through their Confederate County. - Between Hawk and Buzzard: The Crucial Role of Loudoun County Women during America's Civil War
A close look at the lives of Loudoun County, Virginia Civil War women: from Confederate spy to slave, houswife to plantation mistress, Quaker journalist to hospital worker, young and old - presented within a narrated overview of a border county's Civil War experience. - Ballroom Costume, Etiquette and Dance in the Midst of the Rebellion
Living History presentation given at Leesburg, Virginia's Oatlands Presentation which aired several times on The History Chanel, - Time Traveling: The Power of Civil War Music
What music meant in every corner - from soldier's camp, women's parlor to slave's quarters.