Below Stairs: The Kitchen Maid Whose Memoirs Helped Inspire Downton Abbey

What was life really like for the servants who worked below stairs in the era of Downton Abbey? In this program, lecturer Leslie Goddard portrays British servant Margaret Powell as she depicts life "below stairs" in stately English homes in the early 1920s. Based on Powell's best-selling memoir Below Stairs, Goddard provides a lively look at the work it took to run a wealthy household and the eccentricities often found among employers. Powell's 1968 book was among the inspirations for Downton Abbey and directly inspired the 1970s series Upstairs, Downstairs.

The performance takes place on Sunday, January 18, 2015 at 12 p.m. in the Lecture Hall at the Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts. This second show was recently added due to high demand. The originally scheduled 2:00 p.m. performance has already sold out.

Tickets for "Below Stairs" are $10 and can be ordered online at www.prairiecenter.org or by calling 847-895-3600. The Prairie Center is located at 201 Schaumburg Ct., Schaumburg, IL.