Teen Actors Make Portraits Come Alive

Unique summer job has students portraying historical figures

Teenagers are making portraits come alive this summer at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., this summer.

They put on makeup and make final alterations to their costumes. It’s like being backstage in a theater, but in this case the stage is the museum itself.

Dressed in a blue velvet suit and carrying a cane, just like the woman in the portrait behind her, Taylor Marsh looks like a younger version of educator and civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune.

She's one of 10 students participating in "Portraits Alive!" at the National Portrait Gallery. Like most of the students, she came to the program because she's interested in theater.