Key takeaways
- Performances occur every Sunday at 2 p.m in the museum.
- Performances reflect the unique experiences of life in the hotel from 1890s-1920s.
- Performances are approximately 30 minutes long. Included with admission to the Museum.
When you visit the Henry B. Plant Museum in Tampa, you are certainly taking a step back in time. The museum itself is inside the south wing of what was once the Tampa Bay Hotel. And if you visit the museum on a Sunday afternoon, you will feel even more immersed. Upstairs/Downstairs at the Henry B. Plant Museum are performances that bring turn-of–the-century Tampa Bay Hotel staff members and guests to life and let visitors experience what life was really like in the grand hotel.
What is Upstairs/Downstairs?
Upstairs/Downstairs is a single-character performance that occurs every Sunday at 2 p.m in the museum. Based on original research conducted by the museum, these characters recreate the attitudes and practices of the past, along with the sorrows and joys of their existence. It allows visitors to experience a glimpse of life at the Hotel through the eyes of each individual character.
“The name Upstairs/Downstairs describes the two major categories of people who were historically involved with the Tampa Bay Hotel—the wealthy “Upstairs” guests, and the “Downstairs” workers at the Hotel,” says Melissa Sullebarger, Curator of Education at the museum. “Our cast of characters are made up of individuals from a diverse variety of backgrounds and their performances reflect these different experiences of life in a luxury hotel from the 1890s to the 1920s.”
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These performances have been occurring at the museum since 1998. Visitors wanted more information about those who staffed and stayed at the Tampa Bay Hotel, and Museum staff wanted the opportunity to focus on diverse voices and experiences rooted in real historical records.
Meet the hotel guests and staff
Museum staff gathered oral histories relating to the Hotel from Tampa residents to get a feel of what people from the era sounded like. They then worked with local historians and playwrights to create the original six scripts for Upstairs/Downstairs. The original characters are:
- Spanish-American War correspondent Richard Harding Davis
- Head server Otis Freedman
- Laundress Maggie Stroud
- Telegraph operator Pauline Smith
- First Lady Edith Roosevelt
- Hunting and fishing guide Arthur Schleman
The Museum added Theodore Roosevelt, 1st Sgt. Henry Dobson, and Henry Plant in response to audience surveys requesting new characters.
Sullebarger says it’s hard to choose a favorite character performance, but she really appreciates 1st Sgt. Henry Dobson. “Much of the script is drawn from the actual letters that the real 1st Sgt. Henry Dobson. It’s what he wrote home to his family during his time serving in the Spanish American War,” she explains. “Hearing the actual words written by this young man truly transports one into his experiences.”
Seeing a performance
Today, performances take place on Sundays in the Museum all year round, thanks to the underwriting of the Hillsborough Arts Council, the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners, and Mosaic.
Performances of Upstairs/Downstairs are at the Museum every Sunday at 2 p.m. Visitors may want to arrive early to get a seat. Each performance is approximately 30 minutes long and is included with admission to the Museum. The Museum posts performance schedules on the website, with a different character appearing each week.
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Throughout the autumn, winter, and spring, the museum also offers occasional Upstairs/Downstairs performances at other locations throughout the community.
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