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Anchors Away! The USS Constellation Museum Celebrates 150 Years with the
Launch of Two New Acoustiguide Tours
(New
York and Baltimore) – July 4, 2004, USS Constellation, the last all sail
powered vessel built by the US Navy, celebrated its 150th anniversary with the
launch of its new Acoustiguide audio programs. Longtime partners, Acoustiguide
and the USS Constellation collaborated in 1999 to develop the ship’s original
audio tour. When it came time to re-vamp the ship’s audio interpretation,
Chris Rowsom, Executive Director, and his crew worked with Acoustiguide’s
creative team to develop a novel program that would transport visitors back in
time and recreate life on the historic sloop during 1863. The tour was funded by
a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, a National Park Service
Program, and features a general audience and family tour. Both tours are based
on scripted dramas that capture life onboard.
General
Audience Tour
It is early 1863 and USS Constellation is docked in Naples,
Italy. Visitors are greeted by US Naval Academy midshipman
Charles Blake, an officer in training, whose position on board
allowed for fraternizing with both officers and enlisted men.
Blake shows visitors around the sloop and introduces them to the
ship’s many colorful characters. Visitors listening to the
Acoustiguide tour will hear from characters based on actual
sailors who once served on the USS Constellation. The sailors
discuss life on board, revealing tidbits about service under a
strict military regimen, diet, medical care, personal hygiene
and the hierarchical system of governing and operating a naval
ship. Acoustiguide assembled a dramatic troupe to take on these
roles and conducted authentic onsite recordings, including live
canon fire, to produce a rich cinematic soundscape. The tour
makes use of the radio play format and never deviates from the
dramatic conceit.
Kids
Tour
 Designed
to be a shared experience between kids and their caretakers, the
highly imaginative family tour follows a young girl named Becky
who is touring USS Constellation with her mother, a lieutenant
commander in the US Navy. Bored by the ship’s tour guide,
Becky finds herself distracted by the ghost of her great-great
grandfather, Cornelius Meter, ship’s boy second class, who
served onboard Constellation during the Civil War. The two
become fast friends and Cornelius guides Becky around the ship
while Becky teaches Cornelius 21st century slang. Like the adult
tour, Becky learns what it takes to keep operations ship shape,
at times much to her astonishment. Highly informative, the
family tour also has a modern sense of humor, addressing
questions like “where did the sailors go to the bathroom?”
head on.
Chris
Rowsom, Executive Director, believes that “the museum was able
to create an audio program of world class stature that will
educate and entertain our visitors for many years.”
About Acoustiguide
Acoustiguide invented the audio tour more than 45 years ago, and the company has remained at the leading edge of creativity and technology ever since. Acoustiguide provides audio programs for museums, heritage and historic sites, tourism attractions, zoos,
aquaria
and corporate clients in 22
countries around the world. Acoustiguide offers complete creative and production services, the most advanced audio technology and comprehensive on-site management.
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