Knight Mist: Episode 2

By Stevil Strange

Snipe made a quick swerve to the left and my head banged against the door of the cab. I sat up because at least that way I would be able to hold on to the O.S. handle above the door.

The traffic on the bridge was very congested and soon the chase had slowed to a crawl.

"Damn it!" Snipe said, " Traffic was never like this in ‘Bullitt’."

"Yeah, but Steve McQueen didn’t drive a mini-truck that was three different colors." I commented.

I have had a few ‘incidents’ in my truck. The cab is silver, the bed is green and the tail gate is brown. It ain’t pretty and it’s 14 years old, but it’s paid for, runs good and gets great gas mileage.

We inched along with the traffic and Snipe finally calmed down a bit.

After a few minutes I spoke. "It’s your own fault you know."

"How’s that?" He asked.

"We didn’t have to come this way. We could have come up 101 and missed this bridge entirely."

"But.."

"But nothing. You know how I feel about bridges and you came this way because you are the ‘Anti-Christ.’"

"I’m driving so I get to pick the route."

"I coulda drove."

"Yeah, right."

"Well I coulda."

"So how did your truck get to be three different colors?"

"That.."

"I rest my case."

"You’re still the Anti-Christ."

I looked at my watch. It was just a little before 9 am. At 10 we were supposed to meet our friend Trey at "Misdirection’s", a magic shop that is just few blocks away from Golden Gate Park.

Trey is a performer at fair also. His moniker is ‘The Professional Showoff’ and although his faire shows consists mostly of stunts, fire and a bit of juggling, he is also a fine magician.

The traffic finally let up and we entered San Francisco. The city by the bay has a lot of hills, and a lot of stop lights on those hills. My truck unfortunately has a standard transmission. Which means it rolls backwards a bit on those up hill stops.

Snipe was beginning to get peeved again because people were getting right on our tail at the lights.

"I wish they wouldn’t do that." Snipe growled.

"So we roll backward and hit em, big whoop. The truck is three different colors. Do you think I give a crap.?" I stated.

After that Snipe just smiled at each stop light, "That’s it. Come a little closer."

Fortunately or unfortunately depending on who you were rooting for, we had no accidents and eventually arrived in the Park area.

The traffic thinned to nearly nothing as we made our way to the Magic shop. Once there we found a parking spot, fed the meter, and walked across the street to ‘Misdirection’s’.

Trey was standing out front. He was wearing black jeans, a white long sleeve shirt and had a whip tied around his waste for a belt.

I already knew the answer but I had to ask anyway, "What’s with the belt?"

Trey just gave a big smile and answered, "Because whips are cool."

We hugged each other in greeting, because that’s what Rennies do, then proceed to enter the shop.

Trey pushed the door but it wouldn’t budge. "Huh, that’s funny. He’s always open on Fridays."

I checked my watch and saw that it was well past 10.

We peered through the windows to see if anyone was inside and it was at this time that we noticed all the garlic.

Knight Mist: Episode 1

By Stevil Strange

"What are you doing?" Snipe asked with an annoyed voice.

I continued to act like I was looking for something on the floor board of the truck.

"Nothing’" I answered.

"Yes you are. What’s up?" He asked.

I reached under my seat hoping against hope that I would find something that had been kicked under it to give my excuse some credence. Bent forward with my head between my knees I was unable to see out the windows.

My name is Steve. I am a magician. Not a cool Merlin or Gandalf magician, but more of a pull a rabbit out of a hat magician. I am one half of the comedy magic duo of "Myth & Magic."

The other half of the duo, Pat ‘Snipe’ Reule was driving the truck.

We were on our way to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. We were scheduled to perform at a Renaissance Faire that weekend.

Right now Snipe was driving the truck over the Oakland Bay Bridge. I could hear the thump thump thump of the tires on the bridge. I could feel the vibrations through the seat and the sides of the cab. I could feel sweat appearing on my forehead and the palms of my hands begin to moistening. I could feel my testicles sucking up into my body.

"Wow," Snipe said, "Look at the ocean way down there. How far up do you think we are?"

"I have no idea." I said as I continued to ‘fake’ looking for something. You see, I don’t know why, but I have a terrible fear of high bridges. High bridges over water. Well, that’s just a double header of terror as far as I am concerned.

"Did you ever see the video of the last big quake when parts of this bridge fell?" Snipe continued his ribbing.

I knew, he knew about my phobia, "Kiss my.."

"Asshole !" Snipe yelled at the driver of a Prius that cut us off.

Snipe swerved to avoid an accident as he did, my head smacked against the glove compartment door.

"Ouch!" I shouted as I rubbed my head.

Snipe honked the horn at the Prius. The driver of the Prius waved back in reply, but only used his middle finger.

"It’s on now." Snipe said under his breath and hit the gas.

Oh great, I thought to myself, I’m on a high bridge, way up over water and I’m in a car chase. What else could possibly go wrong this weekend.

Lakewood Lions Renaissance Faire

The weather was beautiful, the setting is lovely, the jousters (nonchoreographed) were good and the SCA supported in a HUGE way; all in all it was a good Faire.

Attendance was really good though, for some merchants, the purse strings were a little tighter than hoped for - but with the economy, especially locally, what it is that was to be expected.

All in all a good Faire and I highly recommend it.

Now I have a question. Since there are very few Renaissance Faires in the Philadelphia area (West Windsor Lions, Wheaton Village, Lakewood Lions and Wrightstown (PA), why do Lakewood and Wrightstwon have to fall on the same date? Lakewood is in its 17th year, Wrightstown in something like its 6th; both are SCA demos (and Lakewood was a Royal Progress). What does it take to get the one person behind the Wrightstown event to agree to drop his event back a week (or bring it forward a week)?

This is a great area, lots of people, usually good weather (barring a hurricane), lots of SCA and other potential supporter groups and still we have two events just a tiny bit over an hour apart.

It makes it hard on the SCA, on the merchants, and especially hard of the really enthusiastic Rennies who pretty much have to choose between these two events when, through cooperation, both of these Faires could draw more people through the gates, more merchants, more acts, more everything?

Bunni

Five Things To Improve Your Renaissance Clothes

So you’ve been coming to Faire for a while, and you’ve decided that you’d like to wear something more historical than what you have. You spent a lot of money on your outfit. You can’t just throw it all out and buy new stuff! Is there anything you can do?Yup! Here’s five little things you can do to improve your outfit today.

Wear a cap - Most women didn’t go around with their hair uncovered. Even upper class women had their hair specially dressed and coiffed. Common women typically wore white linen caps to keep their hair clean and tidy. Find a white linen cap or coif at one of the merchants and tuck all your hair up into it. If you can’t find a white linen cap, a white piece of linen wrapped around your head “do-rag” style is acceptable too.

Cover your shoulders- This one is really two. Number one: Pull your chemise sleeves up so they cover your shoulders. The “off-shoulder” look wasn’t done in the 16^th century. Number two: Wear a partlet or shoulder cape to cover your chest and shoulders. A simple rectangle of white linen pinned at the throat will not only make your outfit more historically accurate, it will also protect your skin from sunburn. No more red triangles!

Un-tuck your skirts - Wearing a skirt tucked up into your belt isn’t period-appropriate. Women in the 16^th century wore theirs hanging normally.

Change your boots for shoes - Boots were worn more for function than fashion in the 16^th century. If you’re not riding a horse, you probably shouldn’t be wearing boots. Luckily the shoes from this time period looked very much like “China flats” or canvas slippers. Pick up a pair for a few dollars at your local thrift store.

Unhook your tankard- People didn’t go to 16^th century taverns with their own personal tankard on their belts. The tavern provided drinking vessels. If you really feel the need to carry your own tankard with you, tuck it into a pouch and suspend that from your belt or put it in a basket and carry it.

Kass McGann

- The Inside Story - Interview with Cherie Moore

You may not always see Cherie Moore at faire but you see her work all the time. She is the costumer that some of the best dressed and most fastidious at faire go to for accurate, historical representations of what their characters wore in the 16th century, including Deirdre Sargent, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I at the Northern California Renaissance Faire. The editor had chance to talk with Cherie recently and find out more about why she does what she does. She is very unassuming and modest. Her costumes are anything but.

TC: How long have you been costuming?

CM: I have been costuming professionally for 18 years. However, I really started making costumes when I was a little girl. I had a Mother Goose book where all the characters were dressed in Georgian clothing. I was drawn in by this book. So, my first costumes were Georgian dresses I tried to make for my dolls when I was 5 years old. I never liked Barbie’s fashions so I dressed all my Barbies in period clothing I made myself. My mother sewed and so there was always material available. I went to a “hippie” school in San Francisco, Rivendell School, where we were encouraged to be crafty and creative. There were fabric boxes there too!

TC: What do you love about costuming?

CM: I love making people feel pretty. It is important to make them look good but it is more important to make them feel good.

TC: Did you start out costuming for Renaissance faires?

CM: No, my first costumes were for Halloween!

TC: What other genres do you costume for?

CM: I also sew for the Dickens Faire so I make Victorian costumes as well.

TC: What dream costume have you not made yet and may never get around to but still dream about making?

CM: There is a Jean Phillip Worth gown, circa 1900 that I want to make with beautiful wheat stalks made of beads and sequence.

TC: Describe the creative process you go through personally when putting together an original garment.

CM: I start with the fabric. The fabric inspires me. I used to work in a fabric store 15 years ago and I would buy the fabric before I had selected the project. I still have some fabric from that time. I have 16 or so boxes of fabric and 4-5 bolts and boxes and boxes of notions and trims and ribbons. So first, I select the fabric and play with it, looking at its possibilities. Then I design. I do extensive research in books and on line and see what looks good with the fabric I have chosen. When I sew an original garment, just the sewing can take 100-200 hours at least. I do a lot of hand sewing. It is a full-time job.

TC: What simple things can we all do to improve their costumes?

CM: The most important thing is to do your research first. If you are a participant in a faire, not a patron, follow the historical guidelines that have been set for that faire. The second most important thing is to use the right fabrics. Don’t use shiny polyesters or satins when silk is available. Cheap fabric just looks like cheap fabric!

Tina Bailey

The Faire Spoken Greeting

One way to join in the fun of Faire is to ‘speak the speech’- the language of Queen Elizabeth and William Shakespeare, Kit Marlow and the King James Bible. You’ll find performers at any Faire who are always happy to exchange a few words, and you may find yourself playing a bigger part than you expected. Remember that language is everyman’s sport- the playing field that’s open to every level of society, and one where a ploughboy can outshine an earl… provided he keeps his manners.

To play well with others, it’s good to know something about the rules. Let’s start with the basics: thou and thee. Thy friends will be thee, and also thy social equals, and all those who are below thine own rank in life- what we know as station. (The exception to this is God, who is addressed as thou, like a familiar friend.) Thou and thee confuse people sometimes, partly because of that business about God: so here’s a way to remember which is which. Thou goest to the Faire… but thy friend goeth with thee.

In the modern world, it’s polite to treat everyone as equal., but at Faire, we’re all pretty proud of our station- whatever it is. A husbandman- a farmer working rented land- is proud to be above the labourer and the beggar. …And if the yeomen, the merchants and tradesmen, the gentry, the nobility and the Queen are all above him, well, so is the sky. That’s just the way it is. So when thou speakest to the Queen or some of her velvet nobles, ‘tis well to remember: to such folk as thou and I, they are always addressed as you. Any time thou art in doubt, assume the polite form is correct- nobody ever took insult at hearing themselves called you. (In fact, that’s basically how poor old thou drifted out of the English language.)

Today in thy wanderings, thou wilt pass by hundreds of people on the streets of the Faire. Add to thy pleasure, then, by greeting some of them in passing, seeing how thine eye can learn to judge their station in a glance.

To commoners (and close friends):

Give thee good day, Goodman Farmer.

Good morrow, Goodwife.

Well met, Cousin! (Any close friend or relative, Coz for short.)

How doth the day find thee, Ploughman?

How now, good fellow?

God save thee, Goodman Chandler (a candle-maker).

How dost thou this day, Gaffer/Gammer? (Grandfather and Grandmother, but thou canst use them for any person old enough- or mock thy friends with the titles when they seem to speak with greybeard wisdom.)

Good after-noon to thee, brave lad. ( means ‘good-looking’.)

Good fore-noon to thee, pretty lass. (If thou holdest the girl in kissing acquaintance, then by all means call her sweeting or sweetin’. Be certain she’s in agreement on the subject, or thou shalt haply have thine ears boxed for thee, and deserve it too.)

How farest thou this morn, Goodman Shepherd?

…And on parting with any of these same, a “Farewell” or a “Fare-thee-well” can add a further touch of colour to thy speech.

To those who, um, might be well-to-do commons or might be gentry, blast it, I’m not quite sure, how do I play it safe?:

How do you this day?

Give you good morrow, Master Shipwright. (Boat-building is a skilled trade- but is he above thy station?)

How now, Master?

Good day to you, fair Mistress.

Doth the day find you well, Master Smith?

Fair morning to you, sir.

Give you good day, Mistress Puritan.

How fare you, Mistress Dyer? (Cloth dyers were a guild with closely-guarded trade secrets, because natural dyes fade quickly unless the cloth is treated.)

Well met, Master Joiner (a carpenter).

Nice clothes, bright colours, I bet they’re gentry:

How do you, sir?

Fair day to you, good dame.

The blessings of the day to you, sweet madam.

How now, good sir?

Mistress, how do you?

How doth the day find you, Master?

Good morrow to you, sir and dame.

If they’re gentlemen or gentlewomen, they have no trade or work- by definition, in fact. A gentleman is a man who does no necessary work with his hands. (He can work for his pleasure if he wants.) So thou need’st not concern thyself with what their occupations might be: they own property, or businesses, or do engage themselves in trading ventures abroad. Just do thy best to call them you, in right mannerly fashion, and all else is well.

They’re wearing jewels and velvet, must be nobility:

God save you, good my Lord.

How do you this day, my Lady?

Cry your pardon, my Lord and Lady.

Is this not a wondrous Faire, good my Lady?

A good fore-noon to you, my Lord.

God you good den, my Lord, my Lady. (This basically means ‘good afternoon’.)

Purple and gold: it’s the Queen!:

God save Your Grace!

Give you good day, Your Majesty.

If by chance Her Majesty should choose to speak with thee, then “Aye, Your Majesty” will likely be the most of thy speech. (“Nay” is a word to use very cautiously with the Crown of England, or any other land either.) But it might be handy for thee to remember also, “An it please Your Grace,” which is simply to say, “Whatever you like.” Queens do ever like to hear that sort of thing.

And here are a couple of all-purpose greetings to thy friends and acquaintance, good for any time of the day or even.

What ho!

How now!

Gereg Jones-Muller

What D’ye Lack?

Horsedung and woodsmoke are sharp upon the morning air,
And criers’ calls are all but lost within the babble of the throng at start of day.
The mongers and the traders and the craftsmen must with lusty voices
Vie to catch the traveler’s eye.
What d’ye lack?
Come hither - spy these melons, ripe and firm –
Salt fish for sale - Fresh buns –
Here, my lords and ladies —

Here bright glass, fine leathers, rare and well-

wrought wares to grace the hall
Or homely hearthside service do –
Here’s iron and steel, here’s brooms and pots;
Here jewels, and baubles, ribbands colorful and gay
With which to honor and to enter the festivity.
What d’ye lack?
Here’s victuals and drink, here song and sport –
Here be the very prodigy of humankind,

the marvels of an age
Alive and dancing in their revelry.
Draw near - and view the drollery of fools and fops,
Of maids and gallants, and of simple folk
Amidst the stalls and shops that spring up in our

British Brigadoon.
Come nigh - and join the play of spirits loosed
In woodland fantasy.
Come buy - come try your luck –
Come, Traveler, to the Faire.
What d’ye lack?
‘Tis here. There is a rich supply
Available - and at such price
As you may well afford - or no –
No matter - come –
And drink the sights and sounds
And feed the soul on Dionysian revelry.

Diana G.B.Young

Conflict in Costume

I was struck by the post regarding principles for making documentaries, especially the element of finding your conflict. I started thinking that we need to start recording all of our ideas regarding the conflict that we can think of or that we might find as we enter this arena. These ideas are just the first that I could think of, but I know we need to keep digging into this question to find not just the surface conflicts but deeper ones.

1. Faire vs. Theater: I expected and have continued to discover a real distain for the Ren Faire costume compared from the perspective of the theater scene. For the larger documentary, I think this issue is going to be a key to connect the two areas. The Theater folks look at the Ren Faire as a silly place not to be compared with what they do. Much of the attitude comes from the fact that the patrons at Fairs come in costume.

2. Authenticity: While we haven’t gone to a reenactment yet, I expect to discover a conflict in the area of authenticity. I have a feeling that this will be key to the hierarchy that exists. This is also an interesting counter point to the Ren Faire which is based in history but only anchored there as a starting point.

3. Costumers are Dorks: This is an idea that we are counter with costumers are imaginative and creative.  It is quite possible that they are creative and imaginative dorks though, so I think we need to also show that MANY MANY people are involved in costuming on various levels. It is not so fringe at is seems. We will have to do research to help us develop this more. I think interviews with some academics regarding fan culture might also be really helpful.

I need to stop for now, but I want us to continue developing these ideas.

Reprinted with permission from Project Costume

Episode 1: Highbrow - Lowbrow at the Ren-Faire

The Bristol Renaissance Faire is filled with the most creative costumers and actors. We were struck by the commitment and passion of every participant, both paid and unpaid. The faire hosts over 200,000 patrons, or visitors each season and upwards of 400 performers each day. We learned from our interviews that a majority of the performers volunteer their time each weekend that the Faire is open through the summer. 

I have had no experience with Renaissance faires outside of second hand impressions from friends who have been involved. Coming into the faire, one of my main questions regarded how Ren-faires are perceived from the outside and from the inside. Each of the people we interviewed brought up the issue of Ren-faires being considered low-brow. When asked about this impression, the universal feeling was that while their reputation may not be high-brow, this was from lack of understanding of the skill and creativity of the events themselves.

Adam, a director of a troupe of street performers and an actor himself told us that he feels that the skill required for their improvisation is unique. While there is some scripting, each actor has a character to develop, rules to follow, interaction with the audience and maintaining high level of energy at all times. For instance, the fantasticals are fairy creatures. Each one is not only in full costume but also spray painted make up. These actors are never allowed to be seen out of their character throughout the day and this includes not speaking. They must maintain a fairy-like otherworldliness. Because of this, they are not allowed to order food from the vendors, but instead have to find creative ways of being fed by various patrons.

Alyssa, who we interviewed extensively, recently took the position of costume director. She had to face the issue of having her peers consider her taking a  step down in her career path. The theatre has the highbrow reputation that the faire lacks in reputation. We asked Alyssa how she felt about this and her love of her job and appreciation for this venue of costuming is clear. She feels that the interaction of the actors with the costumes brings a deeper level of creativity. Each of the actors work on their own costume to give them levels of detail that no costume director would have time or money to accomplish. This includes hand-beading, millinery, hand embroidery and stitching. Not only this, but each costume is transformed by the actor themselves. They spend so much time in the costumes that they learn to give them a life of their own by how their wear it such as tucking up parts or swinging the fabric as they walk.  These elements all add up to creative a collection of costumes that Alyssa feels can surpass much of the costume work that she experiences on traditional theaters.

Our impression was astonishment at the beauty and detail of each costume. We had high expectations for what we would see but we were blown away! We had four hours to spend at the faire and we felt that we were only able to touch the surface. We could have spent a least another day in 1574! 

We look forward to interviewing people from theaters and costume design fields as well as theater goers to get their impressions of these events for a counter point or possibly even support of the faire style theater.

While Shelby and I originally expected to only spend one day for the filming of this episode we are both eager to return. We had a wonderful experience with Alyssa and Adam who were so hospitable and open to us. I should also mentioned that the filming would have been a disaster without our crew, Joe who helped with communications and gear management and David who operated the boom with incredible skill as our sound director. Look for their mini-documentary titled “Adventures in helping our wife and girlfriend film at the Ren–Faire.” Good to see them getting into the documentary spirit.

Reprinted with permission from Project Costume

Episode 1: Renaissance Reenacters as Theater Costume

The Renaissance faire costumes hold a unique place in the realm of costume communities. While the Ren Faire can be categorized as reenactors, their rules and visions is distinctly different from many groups of this type. For many reenactors, the authenticity of the uniforms and clothes is of primary value. The era which the characters are drawn from provides a wealth of important details to those making the clothing. They often find original pieces and replicate the garments or the style of the garment in minute detail. The attention to detail spans from the type of stitching, the thread count of the fabric, types of buttons and more. Attention is paid to how the garments are worn and attitudes held while in the garments. 

The Renaissance Faire reenactors have a different spin on the use of historical inspiration. The people we interviewed saw the historical period, which in this case was 1574, as a major source of inspiration, but the authenticity often was traded for a theatrical point of view. 

Anchoring the community in a specific period provides a broad spectrum for individuals to choose and develop their character. The range of possibilities run from royalty, the court, towns people and more. Not only does it give a range of clothing options to choose from, but actual historical people to reinterpret through performance and dress. It gives not only a scope, but also a depth that can be felt through the diversity of the experience.

Where the Ren-Faire performers differ is their view of authenticity. From their perspective, the theatrical element can override the need for authenticity. For instance, in 1574 cotton was the most expensive and rare fiber content for clothe. Because of this the royalty would often be seen in this type of fabric while the lower classes would wear varieties of flax and woolen material. Today, cotton fibers read as common and even cheap because of its widespread availability. In response to this, Alyssa, the costume director, would use satin type materials for garments appropriate for a higher class character. How the audience reads the characters is significant for the experience. This perspective is clearly more in kind with a theater style costuming way of thinking. 

Adam, a performer and director of street performers designed his own garments. He, like many others hand made several specific pieces. His hat was of particular notice since he had obviously put long hours into its development. When he was describing it to us, he noted that the hat was in the style which his character would have worn, but that he exaggerated its height to give it a dramatic flare. These types of examples were a common thread and provides an important insight into the practices and values of the Renaissance Faire costume design.

*NOTE: one common element we have noted is that individuals in costume communities prefer the term garment, uniform or dress while costume is often considered insult. However, this is not always the case. Alyssa’s position is the “costume director.”

Reprinted w/ Permission from Project Costume

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