Tames Alan is an actress, historian, and fashion history teacher who has
combined her skills to create Living History Lectures for people of all ages.
Since 1986, she has been touring her programs throughout the United
States and Canada, where she is known for her in-depth research and lively
presentation style. In the Northwest, she is the most popular speaker in the
history of the Washington Commission for the Humanities’ Inquiring Mind
program and has received several grants from WCH to tour her programs to
rural and underserved areas of Washington state.

Over the years, she has created a series of one-woman historically accurate
costumed programs that are educational entertainment. These are fun cultural
events for general audiences, as well as good cultural background programs
for elementary through college-level students. They cover the life, customs,
and clothing from several ancient cultures through the 1920’s.

Tames has had a passion for dance all of her life and has trained and performed
in a variety of dance styles all over the West Coast. Throughout her performing
career, she danced with the Oregon State Ballet, Newcastle English Country
Dancers, the Veil of Isis Dancers (Middle Eastern with an emphasis on modern
Egyptian), Elliott Bay Morris Dancers, and the Ballard Locks Long Sword Team.
Currently she and her husband dance with Dance Driven, a ballroom dance
formation team. Tames worked for many years with the California Renaissance
Faire as a dancer and an instructor in Elizabethan dialect and culture.

In addition to the above programs, Tames is also a recognized food historian
and offers a series of programs that give entertaining insight into what and
how people ate in the past. Her program Trial by Fork: Formal Victorian Dining
Demystified, was hired by the Museum on Main Street program sponsored by
the Smithsonian Institute.

Classic Collaborations is a new endeavor for Tames Alan and is a natural
extension of her popular Living History Lectures. Using her decades of
experience, Tames is excited to be collaborating with chamber orchestras
to create costumed musical adventures that bridge music and culture from
a specific time. These programs offer a deeper understanding of the music
by engaging audiences in what it was like to live during the time the music
was played. Tames’ lively presentation style and in-depth research will give
audiences an immersive experience of an era through music, fashion, and
culture.

Tames studied theatre and history at Willamette University in Oregon and
theatre at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and the Dell
Arte School in California. For many years, she taught fashion history at the
Art Institute of Seattle, offering a class that combined fashion history, social
history, and women’s studies. She is a historical consultant to museums,
libraries, and historical festivals throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Tames and her husband live on a working farm in the beautiful Puget Sound
region of the Northwest. They enjoy creating fun and fabulous meals, playing
with their two cats, and teaching ballroom dance.

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livinghistorylectures.com

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