Open fire! Ouvrez le feu! Is it possible to reproduce the past? Can we take a shot at it? Unfortunately the past is a foreign country, and we can map it only relying on an almost unreadable 'join the dots' sketch. Some people look down on reenactors, because they are not 'authentic'. These people naively think that authenticity exists, and can't see that museums and historical archives are salvage yards, full of wreckage at best, and outright counterfeit objects and documents at worst. I prefer the playful, potmodern, hyperrealist re-enacments, when everybody can be whoever s/he likes for a weekend. And their heritage is nobler and older than many think: actually, they are the democratic children of Roman emperors and aristocratic lords who staged mock battles throughout Europe. For those who'd like to know, this is from Ticonderoga, New York.