Augustin Fresnel - Frederick Law Olmsted
My mission is "to create excitement and curiosity about history
by giving voice to stories that celebrate the human spirit."
Performing Artist of Living History
Theatrical experience
Roles have ranged from playing John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Philip Lombard in And Then There Were None, Ty Cobb in Cobb to Virgil in Dante's Inferno.
Joseph Smith as The Recordkeeper in Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol
Living History
Having a passion for history, particularly the local history of where I was living, led me to combine my love of acting with my love of history to serve museums, historical societies and cultural organizations with theatrical living history performances that support their missions.
Joseph Smith as Frederick Law Olmsted for Friends of Anderson Park's Olmsted Birthday Celebration
(Photo credit: Kate Albright)
My Inspiration
Through research, writing and performance, my portrayals bring people from history forward in time in an entertaining and engaging way, serving museums, historical societies, cultural and educational organizations with theatrical performances that support their missions. My mission is to create excitement and curiosity about history by giving voice to stories that celebrate the human spirit.
Joseph Smith as Augustin Fresnel for the 25th Annual Gala for the American Lighthouse Foundation
(Photo credit: Dominic Trapani)
My Director and editor
Donna Dimino has been involved in theatre for over 30 years. Some of her acting credits include “Crimes of the Heart”, “The Last Night of Ballyhoo”, “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, “A Winter’s Tale”, “The Laramie Project”, and “Prince Hal”, which won an OOBR Award for Excellence in Theatre.
From 2002-2003, Ms. Dimino created and portrayed Victorian actress and suffragette Edith Kingdon Gould at Georgian Court University. This was Ms. Dimino’s first taste of combining Theatre & History, which sparked an interest in her to give voice to historic figures that could teach and inspire our world today.
In 2006, Donna directed Island Anthologies: A Living Tour of an Abandoned Cemetery, a full length play which she co-wrote with Joseph Smith that received a COAHSI JuneFest Exhibiting Arts Award.
In 2010 Donna directed and script edited Joseph Smith in Staten Island’s History Now: William T. Davis, which received a 2010 DCA Premier Grant from COAHSI and since then has continued to direct and script edit Joseph in his Living History performances of An Evening with Charles Rohlfs, Philip Freneau: A Poet’s View, Seeing Staten Island’s Lights Through A New Lens: Augustin Fresnel, which Mr. Smith was the recipient of a 2016 DCA Art Fund Grant and most recently, Frederick Law Olmsted on Staten Island: His Journey Begins, a collaboration with Friends of Olmsted-Beil House, which received a 2021 DCA Premier Grant, and A Ramble with Frederick Law Olmsted, performed in collaboration with the Friends of Anderson Park in 2022.
She will direct the sequel, Frederick Law Olmsted on Staten Island: His Journey Continues, in 2022.
Other directing credits include a full length Dance Theatre Piece called “Passages: A Celebration of Women”, which received a grant from The Greater NY Arts Development Fund Regrant Program and a Snug Harbor Cultural Arts Grant, and went on to direct several theatrical pieces including: “The Visitors from London” from California Suite at Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre & “Arsenic and Old Lace” at TimeSpace Theatre Company.
Contact Me
Reach out and send me a message
My living history programs of Frederick Law Olmsted, Augustin Fresnel, Young Abe Lincoln and Philip Freneau are available for museums, historical societies, libraries and cultural organizations. Do you have someone from history that you would like to see performed for your audience and organization? Let's see what's possible!
I look forward to hearing from you.
Raisinghistory
New Jersey, United States
