Kyle Jenks

First Person Interpreter of James Madison

Kyle Jenks is a native of Upstate New York. He began his journey in historical interpretation as a reenactor of participants in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution.

He credits his reenactor friends for stimulating an unrecognized interest in the history America's early years as a nation. His first experience was not a reenactment at all -- it was a historical pageant in Bennington, Vermont that chronicled the settling of Bennington in 1742.

Kyle expected to be a cast as a reenactor. It turned out they were still in need of principle roles and he was asked to audition. Intrigued, he did, and was cast as one of the historical figures in the show. What followed was 6 years of consistent participation as an 18th century reenactor, traveling two or three weekends a month with his wife to historical sites from Crown Point, New York to Yorktown, Virginia.

With a move to Ohio in 2009, he discovered a theatrical genre called Outdoor Historical Drama. Just as it happened with his interest in reenactment, another of his talents was discovered. He instinctively knew he wanted to produce an outdoor drama about our American Revolution in Upstate New York.

From that was born Drums Along the Mohawk Outdoor Drama about the pivotal struggles in 1777, most notably at Oriskany, that resulted in the first ever British surrender at Saratoga in October of that year. The drama is based on the book of the same title authored by Walter D. Edmonds.

In addition to being the writer, producer and director of the annual Drums Along the Mohawk Outdoor Drama, Kyle frequently finds himself playing one or more of the individuals portrayed in this Drama about the Battle of Oriskany on August 6, 1777.

And, the rest as they say, is history.