A HISTORY OF INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Interactive Entertainment began 28 years ago in Cheyenne, Wyoming, when the first ever Dickens Christmas Fair for the City of Cheyenne was created by Kathy Drew. She was encouraged to develop more “interactive” events for the City, and the name came. Cheyenne being a wealth of Western History provided the idea of developing an Old West Show similar to those she had participated in with the Renaissance Festivals of California and Colorado. Performers were recruited for roles such as Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, Tom Horn, Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, and others.
Within a year, Interactive Entertainment became a licensed and insured Wyoming business, and the spark for an Old West event was created. While putting together her ideas, Kathy met 2 Board members from the Cheyenne Frontier Days Committee at a Chamber of Commerce meeting, and they invited her to present a proposal for an Old West Town along with historical characters walking the streets. This was perfect timing and synchronistic as it provided a venue, guaranteed audience, and great benefits. WILD HORSE GULCH was built behind the rodeo grounds, and Interactive Entertainment performed 10 days every year for 12 years bringing the town to life.
In 2013 life took Kathy back to California and she spent the next few years continuing the level of entertainment and business she had in Wyoming. Interactive Entertainment has now been a licensed and insured business for 27 years, and participates in Pirate Festivals, Renaissance Fairs, Highway 50 Wagon Train Association events, Weddings, Murder Mystery Dinners (which are written and performed by I.E.) and bringing Dickens characters to life for the first time anywhere on a train in Folsom, California. In 2015 they began performing Wild West Shows and Murder Mystery Dinners with the Sierra Mendocino Railroad, and in 2021 the makings of an old time WILD WEST SHOW similar to the Buffalo Bill Cody Wild West Show, is in the works.
Kathy Drew is also a Docent at Marshal Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma, California and a lot of her research and ideas have been developed right there in the park as she teaches fourth graders and attends history days.
Kathy has a number of ways she measures her success, but one experience stands out: Two young ladies, an 8 year old and 6 year old first met Kathy as Lillie Langtry at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Each year they would come back and and they became her “fans.” Now years later both of these young ladies have graduated high school and are off to college, and they still keep in touch. “I made an impact, and they learned a lot about history to help with their schooling, and they told me I showed them they could do anything.”
Our business is unique in that it is not a group such as a Civil War reenactment, or the Old West Outlaw groups who dress up and shoot their guns with some sort of skit. When someone is meeting Kathy as the actress Lillie Langtry, or Orlando as the Cowboy Nat Love, the participant gets to walk into that moment and hear first person their story. All her performers adopt the persona of their characters and do the research for not only costuming, but information. And we always welcome new information as we grow.