Cry Innocent
In its 34th year, with no show ever the same, this is one of Salem's premier historical attractions.
PRIVATE SHOWS FOR GROUPS ARE AVAILABLE YEAR ROUND IN SALEM OR AT YOUR VENUE.
If you want to understand the Salem Witch Trials, you have to experience Cry Innocent.
The year is 1692. Bridget Bishop has been accused of witchcraft and YOU are on the Puritan jury. Hear the historical testimonies, cross-examine the witnesses and decide the verdict. Is Bridget Bishop capable of witchcraft? Play your part in history…
Thanks to the pivoting required in the Covid-19 Pandemic, there are now two ways to experience Cry Innocent: The People Versus Bridget Bishop!
We offer a live-actor/film hybrid edition of Cry Innocent for your classroom, corporate or other group, year round. You can be on the 1692 jury, even if you can’t come to Salem. This hybrid uses reenactment footage filmed at Salem 1630: Pioneer Village and actors hosting you in real time on your device. You, the traveler, are welcomed into the Ingersoll family’s ordinary (a tavern) where Bridget Bishop is undergoing an examination on witchcraft charges. The Ingersolls know all the village gossip and are eager to hear what you witness. They look forward to greeting you!
To book a remote, group show write to us at query@historyalivesalem.com. Occasionally a smaller group has an opportunity to partner with another group. We post those opportunities on Facebook, so please feel free to follow us!
AND
Live, of course! (Thank Goodness, Covid lock down is behind us.) We can come to your school, place of worship, conference, etc. and we heartily welcome you to visit us in Salem, at our familiar venue, Salem’s Historic Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square. Tickets for the 2024 general public run will be available on this website starting August 1st, 2024. Year-round group reservations for shows in Salem or at your venue can be made via query@historyalivesalem.com. We plan to open our 2024 public season of Cry Innocent at the Old Town Hall in late September. We offer the chance to sit in as a test audience in the summer months. If you plan to visit in the summer and would like to be part of this exclusive opportunity, email query@historyalivesalem.com.
‘Tis the Season!
Join History Alive in 2026 as November turns to December. ‘Tis the Season is a celebration of New England’s winter traditions from before Christmas was a Holiday. Different every year, 2026 will focus on the intersection of abolitionism and Christmas in the 19th century.
Tickets will be available on this website after November 1st.
An alcohol-free, 17th century tavern-like experience for kids and their grown ups, full of music, stories, games and historical treats. Feel free to dress up for the time travel!
Navigate ante-bellum Salem under the guidance of abolitionist Charlotte Forten, the first African-American teacher of an integrated classroom.
Charlotte’s Salem
This May, Old Town Hall in Salem will be transformed into a living, breathing journey through four centuries of local history — and everyone is invited. History Alive, Inc. is planning a free public exhibit featuring 40 remarkable Salemites who shaped the city between 1626 and 1936. The collection highlights a diverse range of people from across Salem’s long and layered past, brought to life through displays, audio-visual presentations, and hands-on experiences.
One of the most distinctive features of the exhibit is that it will be built in public. Costume and prop makers will work right in the space, constructing parade materials in real time. Community members and volunteers are welcome to roll up their sleeves and help build elements that will eventually appear in Salem’s August 1st Heritage Days Parade — making the creative process itself part of the experience.
That parade will also feature History Alive company members drawn from communities across the North Shore, including Beverly, Danvers, Haverhill, Peabody, Rowley, Lynn, Salem, Swampscott, and Marblehead, alongside a volunteer cast of Salem residents. The procession is designed to reflect Salem’s full community, with participants of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and ages taking part.
The exhibit is part of Salem’s broader 400+ anniversary celebrations — a milestone marking more than four centuries since the city’s founding. History Alive’s contribution is a reminder that Salem’s story isn’t just about one moment in time, but about the many people, across many generations, who made it what it is today. You’ll find the dove making crafting at other celebratory events throughout the summer in culmination with “Love, Your Salem” on August 1st—and maybe even a time warp ball if the fancy strikes us!
History Alive, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing local history to life through performance, education, and community engagement.
Quest for the Rich East
Race your friends around the world to trade at the highest profit.
It’s 1790. Teams of up to ten people are organized into “merchant ships” which race each other around the world (downtown Salem) to trade New England goods for the riches of the Far East. Ships must return in time to bring the exotic items to market. Avoid sandbars, pirates, sickness, starvation and dehydration. Keep your crew out of trouble and treat your trading partners well, or you’ll jeopardizing future trade. Who will return with the most treasure and make the highest profit? Will any surprises along the way reverse their fortune?