• It’s Hot, It’s Summer, It’s Time Again

    With the arrival of scorching temps and high humidity, the cast of the Pear Essential Players (P.E.P.) layer on the petticoats, corsets and false beards in preparation for the August 4th re-enactment at the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast.  Rehearsals will begin in two weeks, and this year the script is new.  Written every year by night tour innkeeper Shelley Dziedzic, this year’s script will harness the flavor of popular CSI programs.  Here is what the B&B website has to say about the annual event:

    “Thirty minutes have passed since Abby Borden’s body has been found upstairs in the guest room.  #92 has become a beehive of activity with Fall River’s Men in Blue flocking to the crime scene.  Doctors, bystanders, policemen, newspaper reporters, neighbors and friends are all converging on the little drab house on Second St.   Inside on the Second Floor, Miss Lizzie Andrew Borden is reclining on her fainting couch, medicated with bromo caffeine.  Uncle John has wandered bewildered into the dining room, trying to make sense of what he has just heard.  Bridget Sullivan is frightened in the parlor, already planning to pack and flee that very afternoon. The lifeless bodies of Andrew and Abby Borden are covered with bloody sheets, awaiting procedures and the ministrations of the undertaker.  Sister Emma is rushing back home on her way from Fairhaven.  Helpful neighbors mill around looking for answers and trying to be useful in comforting Lizzie and assisting the police. Meanwhile, the police begin the questioning and searching.  Our visitors will be “deputized” as they begin their tour of the crime scene, and will be encouraged to “assist” the police with their photographic equipment and by carefully surveying the crime scenes.  They may even be motivated to ask a question themselves and to be on the lookout for CLUES! By means of the police questioning, the visitors to the house will hear the story as it happened, unfolding through the answers of the family members.  As the tour of the premises ends, visitors will be asked to cast a vote on the GUILTY PARTY, based on what they have seen and heard during their inspection of the scene of the crime. ”

     There will be a few new faces in the cast this year and a few new characters from out of the past.  Information on ticket sales, parking and times will be posted here and on the B&B site soon.  The first performance will be at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 4th.  This will be the fourteenth year that the house on Second Street has reproduced the historic details of the famous case in an entertaining and educational way. 
  • Youtube Lizzie

    Pear Essential Players Appear in Recent House Promo

    Ric Rebelo has produced another great Lizzie video, this one promoting the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast. The Pear Essential Players, a “Bordenian” Acting Troupe which performs only on August 4th, is featured in in 2008 and 2009 performances.  The video is accompanied by wonderfully atmospheric music and commentary by co-owner, Lee Ann Wilber.

    http://www.lizzie-borden.com/    http://pearessentialproductions.org/

  • Pear Essentials Players launch new blog

     Over the years since the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast Museum opened, many staff employees and their friends have undertaken the task of bringing the Borden story and Lizzie to life via annual August 4th re-enactments.  All have shared a passion for the story, and a pleasure at sharing it with others.  Some have taken their show “on the road” to local schools, libraries and civic groups.  Since 1996, when the B&B opened, the roles of the Borden family and other personalities in the case have been assumed by many professional and amateur actors.  The new site will feature photos and anecdotes about the 12 years of “bringing Lizzie to life” for visitors and guests at #92 and other places.  Perhaps you have met one of the troupe on a visit to the house.  If you were a member of the cast in 1996-2007, we’d love to hear from you! 

    Visit http://pearessentialproductions.wordpress.com/