Thursday, June 10, 2004
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Storyeum in Gastown Vancouver, BC Review
Hi,
I have just visited Storyeum with a tour group at 7 pm, the last showing of the day. The tour took around 70 minutes, with no bathroom breaks. So, it was advisable that we went to the bathroom first.
Storyeum covers Canadian history from the prehistoric to the beginning of 1900. I was expecting that it would cover the 20th Century, but the stories finished with the prosperity of BC at the turn of the 20th century. The tour progressed through different periods, and each period was represented by different "stories" in different rooms. Live actors, in period clothing, were there to entertain us.
The tour began by taking a huge silo-like elevator, with capacity of up 199 people, to the basement of the museum. In fact, all of the stories took place in the basement of Storyeum. Then, we walked to the first and second rooms, the wilderness and the First Nations House. The second room was the only place that we could sit for a short while.
The third room set the stage for the exploration of Canada, and the fourth room was a replica of a ship with rain, smoke, and lightning effects. (Someone with with sensitivity to strobe lights would be uncomfortable in this room.)
The fifth room showcased the Gold Rush via a replicate of Barkerville. I found that this room was the most enjoyable of all, with interactions of different actors.
Then, the sixth room mentioned the building of the railway and the Chinese workers. This room finished off with the re-enactment "Last Spike." The seventh room used a musical to illustrate the prosperity of BC. It began with a moving steamtrain stopping at a station, and it continued with a dance number of 2 actors. Finally, the eighth "room" involved another elevator to bring us up to the other side of Storyeum. The ride up used projectors to gloss over the rest of the history and showcase some of the images of BC.
The tour ended with a stop to the giftshop.
Overall, this is a great tour if you want to get a brief look at the history of BC. The balance between education and entertainment skews towards entertainment, as facts and text were sometimes flashed too fast for me to read.
The tour may be less appealing to children because they have to follow a set path. It may also be less appealing to someone who cannot stand for a long period of time because there is only one stop during the tour that you can sit.
The rate of $22 per person appears to be high, but you can compare it with a live play that costs $50 or so. However, you may argue that in a play, you get to sit throughout the time.
I would definitely want to see it again, but probably just once more.
I have just visited Storyeum with a tour group at 7 pm, the last showing of the day. The tour took around 70 minutes, with no bathroom breaks. So, it was advisable that we went to the bathroom first.
Storyeum covers Canadian history from the prehistoric to the beginning of 1900. I was expecting that it would cover the 20th Century, but the stories finished with the prosperity of BC at the turn of the 20th century. The tour progressed through different periods, and each period was represented by different "stories" in different rooms. Live actors, in period clothing, were there to entertain us.
The tour began by taking a huge silo-like elevator, with capacity of up 199 people, to the basement of the museum. In fact, all of the stories took place in the basement of Storyeum. Then, we walked to the first and second rooms, the wilderness and the First Nations House. The second room was the only place that we could sit for a short while.
The third room set the stage for the exploration of Canada, and the fourth room was a replica of a ship with rain, smoke, and lightning effects. (Someone with with sensitivity to strobe lights would be uncomfortable in this room.)
The fifth room showcased the Gold Rush via a replicate of Barkerville. I found that this room was the most enjoyable of all, with interactions of different actors.
Then, the sixth room mentioned the building of the railway and the Chinese workers. This room finished off with the re-enactment "Last Spike." The seventh room used a musical to illustrate the prosperity of BC. It began with a moving steamtrain stopping at a station, and it continued with a dance number of 2 actors. Finally, the eighth "room" involved another elevator to bring us up to the other side of Storyeum. The ride up used projectors to gloss over the rest of the history and showcase some of the images of BC.
The tour ended with a stop to the giftshop.
Overall, this is a great tour if you want to get a brief look at the history of BC. The balance between education and entertainment skews towards entertainment, as facts and text were sometimes flashed too fast for me to read.
The tour may be less appealing to children because they have to follow a set path. It may also be less appealing to someone who cannot stand for a long period of time because there is only one stop during the tour that you can sit.
The rate of $22 per person appears to be high, but you can compare it with a live play that costs $50 or so. However, you may argue that in a play, you get to sit throughout the time.
I would definitely want to see it again, but probably just once more.
