Today we’d like to introduce you to Evan O’Brien.
Evan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In 2002 I heard through a friend that Historic Tours of America/Old Town Trolley Tours of Boston was hiring actors/interpreters for a ghost tour called Ghosts & Gravestones in downtown Boston. I auditioned, got the job, and within a couple of years I was running the program and other historical tours as Entertainment & Production Manager. I cut my teeth in historical performance and tourism there for just shy of a decade. Then I was given the opportunity to join the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum as the Creative Manager at the end of 2011. The museum was still under construction, but it was time for someone to start creating what the museum experience would be. I was honored to be the first employee hired at the museum, and spent the next year (along with my dedicated and talented team of Assistant Creative Managers), writing, designing, and creating what would become an award winning museum experience. Since then, my team and I have gone on to create numerous experiences at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, built a major historical reenactment that takes place every December 16th, and oversee a talented and dedicated team of historic interpreters. I am proud to be a part of a ground-breaking museum, an amazing place to work, and an ambassador of the story of the Boston Tea Party.
Has it been a smooth road?
I don’t think any career path is ever smooth. There are always some doubts and bumps along the way. I originally wanted a career in theater and music. However, I quickly found that I had a passion for historical storytelling, and loved the history of New England. Despite getting a BFA in performance from Emerson College, I decided to change fields somewhat. Although, I have been able to use a great deal of my theatrical experience in the museum industry.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum story. Tell us more about the business.
I am the Creative Manager for the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. I oversee the Creative Department which is responsible for creating and maintaining the museum experience, creating content and exhibits, and creating programming and special events. We also oversee the museum’s education program which offers interactive virtual Boston Tea Party experiences to classrooms around the world. It is a challenging and rewarding position that keeps me on my toes.
There is nothing more “Boston” than the Boston Tea Party, and I am proud to represent an organization that is dedicated to telling the story of the “single most important event leading up to the American Revolution”. There are many history museums out there, but no other museum is solely dedicated to telling this story. We bring this story to life through live historical performance, historic artifacts, and hands-on interactive exhibits that put our guests in the middle of the history. There is truly nothing else like it in Boston.
In addition, each year on December 16th (the actual anniversary of the Boston Tea Party), we partner with Old South Meeting House and put on a 3-tiered Annual Reenactment of the Boston Tea Party. This involves a lively town meeting at Old South–the very historic hall where the Boston Tea Party started. This is followed by a parade of over 1,000 people led by fife and drum corps down to the waterfront. Then we recreate the Destruction of the Tea with a professionally produced theatrical performance during which we throw actual East India Company Tea into Boston Harbor on the very same location where the Sons of Liberty did it over 240 years before! It’s an incredible night, and an honor to be a part of it.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think the tourism/museum industry will be undergoing changes over the next 5-10 years. Many museums are now looking to technology to tell their story. I think cutting edge technology will be a key player in future museum development.
Contact Info:
- Address: Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
306 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210 - Website: www.bostonteapartyship.com
- Phone: 617-531-6203
- Email: eobrien@bostonteapartyships.com
Image Credit:
Michael Hogan, Michael Blanchard
