compilation of thoughts
Oct. 2nd, 2006 06:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
acroyearA faire worker in a f-locked post (so i'm not naming names ;-) ) asked about whether or not the "magic" of faire is less than it was, and if so, why? here follows the compilation of my 4 posts to that thread.
lots of little things, and i'm not so sure any blame can be placed anywhere (except perhaps the local government).
One of the issues is that as much as WE would like to think our private post-closing-gate parties are private, some with authority in the local government are in a position to say otherwise. Alcohol sales after hours, even if just to pay the tab of the keg we use, is something that has to be monitored because its still a public place to them. So already there was pressure to not bother with the post-closing parties because of how much legal work would be required and the inability, given the lighting, etc, to keep things legal, keep minors from drinking, keep those who shouldn't bein on site out, etc.
then there's some level of, not so much burnout (that's an individual thing), but daily exhaustion kicking in. there are fewer people, particularly actor/musicians, for more audience (I disagree with the idea that attendence is down - plateaued, perhaps, with a give-or-take a couple thou a year, but weather remains a big factor and last year's low-attendence october days were all entirely weather-caused; this year weather-slow days were made up for by record-breaking next days [later posts say that we're below the 2000/2001 records but still reasonably steady]).
but really, there are fewer actors out there, so those there feel even more "on call", and constantly coming up with new ideas or rehearsing old ones to keep the patrons involved and to keep the days from getting monotonous, eats into "creative time" for coming up with things to do at the old "talent show". now, putting the patrons experience ahead of our own post-closing experience is hardly a bad thing, but that other type of bonding is one of the things lost when it happens. another side effect of so few actors is that there aren't as many "shopping" trips where the actors in character go hitting the stores, entertaining the patrons and boothies while doing so. often i see them simply running from show to show, particularly with more staged "street" events rather than the old way of saying "just hang out in section 'B' for an hour". Taking 2-3 people out on "Goodbye Duty" eats into that even more; yes we want the last experience to be as good as (or better than) the first, but that's 2-3 people doing that who aren't interacting with the patrons who are still IN the festival. That in turn sometimes puts more of a load on us musician and street types to pick up the slack.
i know this year is different for me - even though i'm not driving any more distance than years past, nor am i doing all that much more per day than any year past, i'm crash-level zonking out within minutes of reaching my hotel where i used to have enough energy to yap for an hour over tv, get my shower at night (then a necessity as the competition for hot water in the morning was tough), and read half a chapter of a book over some good music. this season: zonk. every saturday, right on schedule. i figure the only way i'm surving the post-faire parting i'm doing next saturday is merely the fact that i won't be at faire that day at all (doing a Foggy Bottom Morris gig in fells point).
and if i'm that exhausted, how about everyone else? many of the planners of some of the activities of the past (like Mary Anne's square dance night) all had one "evangelist" that drove the planning and execution of it, and often those are the people who feel the most "done" now by what they do during the day or with changes in thier own physical or mental limits as they (well, we) age. others have had to extend their outside-of-faire workloads to afford to do the faire, or have non-work items (children!) that weren't part of their lives 10 years ago. we're not all 25 anymore ;-)
now that's just my thoughts on the post-faire activity schedule. i'll post my other thoughts in a bit (and then maybe collect them for my own post...)
Someone else: It seems to me that a lot of the things that are in the streets are more for passing ambience anyway and very few people actually take the time to stop and watch what's happening (or listen, in the case of the musicians) which seems sad.
Me, speaking as a street muso:
it may seem that way, but it comes and goes and we take it in stride. one day a spot we're given can be deader than being outside, but the next day, same time, same spot, same weather, we can be surrounded on all sides and have to throw our "set" away in favor of just playing it up to the crowd we have.
plus, this being something that every performer knows, playing for the RIGHT audience is better than playing for the largest. a gathering of 5-10 people GIVING us attention is worth more than a crowd of 50 where 20 of them aren't paying attention at all - you FEEL the ignorance (i've posted about my hatred of octoberfest before, the ultimate in being ignored by people with more important things to do than actually pay attention to entertainment and what we have to offer). it eats away and the show can die in spite of the 3/5ths of those there who want to listen and experience.
saturday, 5pm boardwalk, we had a HUGE crowd, parents with kids letting them just BE with us, jumping, dancing, smiling, anywhere from 5 to 15 at any point. we threw out our normal closer and just kept the beat going for them. sunday, the other GOOD audience - just one or two kids, but with rapt attention and experience and sharing that you just can't get any other way.
some days are dead (often its the heat that keeps people from stopping), some spots can be deader than others (but with the noise i make, we can't move without bumping into a stage act and i'd rather play nice ;-) ). but we take those in stride as part of our larger experience during the day and during the season.
but really, even as background, we (generally) recognize our importance, and its one you wouldn't notice until you went to other faires that don't have street music. at Maryland, you often can't go 50 feet without hearing SOMETHING being played, LIVE, nearby. in fact, after the gate opens, its overwhelming how much music is going on, with the trumpets at the gate show, the brass band on the gatehouse, morning music, cast that sing at the fountain, the organ, groups warming up at the pubs before they start their own schedule...
yes, i know some performers who would like a little more attentiveness than what we sometimes get, and i certainly have those days myself.
(personal note follows, a little off topic from the original post)
our more annoying times are when the kids want to stop and watch and the parents just keep pushing them from one stage (or pub) or shop to another without any concern for the kids actually *getting* anything out of it. yes, we know there's so much to do and so little time, but we also know that kids can't get everything. its kinda that soccer-mom curse - they're so busy dragging the kids around to where they think the kids want to be rather than pay attention to what the kids really want or need to do (which is often just sit still, or dance around, or just BE).
even if walking patrons don't stop for us, we know that many are in the gate BECAUSE that ambience of something happening everywhere they look, everywhere they go, is always there. it's one of the things that makes a renaissance festival, and particularly this one, unique.
now in my "playtron" p.o.v... (pt 1)
the magic is there, but it moves around. what was once a key part of my "schedule" isn't, but I find new bright spots elsewhere.
sometimes that loss is just because something hasn't changed in so long. I respect Hack & Slash a lot, but I can't sit through their show anymore; ditto the Rogues, once the highlight of my day.
sometimes that loss is just because the people involved aren't there anymore, though I value the moments I do see them even as non-performers.
sometimes that loss is because something has changed too much. The Dragon Inn used to be *my* pub. I could walk in, know pretty much everybody (not just the alekeeps), and park myself anywhere and be comfortable.
now, the Dragon is no longer comfortable. the only spot close to "home" is right by the alekeeps themselves, otherwise I can't hold still in there. something is really different in there and I really don't know what...it's not just the Riddler and Green Lantern fan club, there's something more in there and its somewhat unnerving. aside from a quick "hi" and maybe dropping stuff off for our later boardwalk sets, I'm rarely in there for long. Some of it is that i'm not there in the morning (when more of "my" crowd would hang there), because of having to hitail it from A to the Globe for Midsummer.
pub sing is also different for me, as i've posted before, from the shift of the "campers" over to "my" side, but the 'hart.
one oddity for this year is all the temporary acts for the anniversary. normally, we have 1-weekend guests for the themed weekends, then the regular crew. this year we have very few here for the very few themed weekends (like Barleyjuice for what WAS scottish but isn't 'cause celtic moved), and then we have lots of 2 and 3 week only groups like the 'Broil and Nunny and Gazzo and the like. in a sense one thing that's missing is the bonding that usually takes place backstage with these other stage acts - they're simply not here long enough, and they leave a vaccuum behind. the next "new/old" act brings on a new chemistry and its often a good one, but we simply hadn't gotten the old one comfortable yet and then its taken away. and i think that's on both sides - we want to feel like we've given them a home and it takes more than 2 weeks to do that. thus, friendly as we are, they can't be anything BUT outsiders, even the London Broil who've known some of us for over 10 years.
i do have a feeling of missing a future with the "new/old" crews - we simply don't know which 2-3 weekend group is going to become the next "full run", if any.
so where am i finding it (playtron p.o.v. pt 2)?
shakespeare is good. midsummers is good. REALLY good. tight cast, lot of energy, great script, and a real drive.
I think shakespeare skum has still "got it", too. but note that's all on the other side of the site from your normal "hangouts" (market and joust).
i can always trust the o'danny's to chear me up, though part of that is knowing them personally (and Cami i've known for over 20 years).
Cat and the Fiddle (as i wrote above) always feel that magic when we can connect with the kids and we've had quite a few good "sets" so far. we do wish more 3LF'ers or other fellow musos wouldn't mind a jam or two - we're very flexible. :)
beyond that, just as we're getting old and jaded 'cause we all know each other by now, there's also the watching out for new people. THAT's what has gotten harder. the "family" of regulars has gotten so large that we simply can't keep track of them all anymore. What was once a couple hundred a day now feels like a couple thousand (though I can't say exactly what the season pass numbers are). it's simply too big.
but i keep trying. i keep looking. i keep trying to have an eye out for that one person who just came in 'cause her friends dragged her there and by the end of that day had a complete day's garb and a season pass and was willing to fly 1000 miles from florida to make sure she didn't miss this year ([info]jocelyncs). this weekend, i got to introduce her to [info]just_showtune 'cause by coincidence they happened to be sitting at the same table for pub sing. :)
sometimes, i see the magic in the eyes of someone who is working on cast for the first time after *years* of being a patron, and seeing her not get jaded by the whole backstage cynicism we all have tucked away for a crappy day ;-).
there are so many people in the "family" of regulars, even though there are few people in the performing house, that it can get difficult to see the new people, the ones coming in that first day, that first time. but that's where the magic needs to be created - connecting with that first-timer, showing them this big humoungous village is a giant playground, and hoping they dive in.
so every weekend has had something "magical" happen, but its been different every time. unlike my heyday of magic in the 90s, when a day at faire felt like a day at disney (and i'm not a disney cynic), its not been a case of simply walk into a pub or up to a stage and poof there it is. i have to look for it, work for it, do different things, sometimes work even harder to stay out of "drama zones", to find it.
other times i might just be gifted with a bit by another performer ("pull over, blitzen!" -- Sheriff Middle as he cites me with a ticket for "Celebrating Christmas before Halloween" after I do a morris dance). or maybe us (Cat & Fiddle) giving a brief "gift" of a musical moment to another performer like letting "Baby Stupina" dance or getting Cromwell to go "POP goes the weasel", or suggesting to Tom & Jim to do the bullet catch on last year's closing night.
sometimes, its not me that feels that magic, but i know that i was part of someone else feeling it. somedays that in itself can be enough.
in recent years, I've had to work harder for the magic, but i still find it.
we've gotten old?
lots of little things, and i'm not so sure any blame can be placed anywhere (except perhaps the local government).
One of the issues is that as much as WE would like to think our private post-closing-gate parties are private, some with authority in the local government are in a position to say otherwise. Alcohol sales after hours, even if just to pay the tab of the keg we use, is something that has to be monitored because its still a public place to them. So already there was pressure to not bother with the post-closing parties because of how much legal work would be required and the inability, given the lighting, etc, to keep things legal, keep minors from drinking, keep those who shouldn't bein on site out, etc.
then there's some level of, not so much burnout (that's an individual thing), but daily exhaustion kicking in. there are fewer people, particularly actor/musicians, for more audience (I disagree with the idea that attendence is down - plateaued, perhaps, with a give-or-take a couple thou a year, but weather remains a big factor and last year's low-attendence october days were all entirely weather-caused; this year weather-slow days were made up for by record-breaking next days [later posts say that we're below the 2000/2001 records but still reasonably steady]).
but really, there are fewer actors out there, so those there feel even more "on call", and constantly coming up with new ideas or rehearsing old ones to keep the patrons involved and to keep the days from getting monotonous, eats into "creative time" for coming up with things to do at the old "talent show". now, putting the patrons experience ahead of our own post-closing experience is hardly a bad thing, but that other type of bonding is one of the things lost when it happens. another side effect of so few actors is that there aren't as many "shopping" trips where the actors in character go hitting the stores, entertaining the patrons and boothies while doing so. often i see them simply running from show to show, particularly with more staged "street" events rather than the old way of saying "just hang out in section 'B' for an hour". Taking 2-3 people out on "Goodbye Duty" eats into that even more; yes we want the last experience to be as good as (or better than) the first, but that's 2-3 people doing that who aren't interacting with the patrons who are still IN the festival. That in turn sometimes puts more of a load on us musician and street types to pick up the slack.
i know this year is different for me - even though i'm not driving any more distance than years past, nor am i doing all that much more per day than any year past, i'm crash-level zonking out within minutes of reaching my hotel where i used to have enough energy to yap for an hour over tv, get my shower at night (then a necessity as the competition for hot water in the morning was tough), and read half a chapter of a book over some good music. this season: zonk. every saturday, right on schedule. i figure the only way i'm surving the post-faire parting i'm doing next saturday is merely the fact that i won't be at faire that day at all (doing a Foggy Bottom Morris gig in fells point).
and if i'm that exhausted, how about everyone else? many of the planners of some of the activities of the past (like Mary Anne's square dance night) all had one "evangelist" that drove the planning and execution of it, and often those are the people who feel the most "done" now by what they do during the day or with changes in thier own physical or mental limits as they (well, we) age. others have had to extend their outside-of-faire workloads to afford to do the faire, or have non-work items (children!) that weren't part of their lives 10 years ago. we're not all 25 anymore ;-)
now that's just my thoughts on the post-faire activity schedule. i'll post my other thoughts in a bit (and then maybe collect them for my own post...)
Someone else: It seems to me that a lot of the things that are in the streets are more for passing ambience anyway and very few people actually take the time to stop and watch what's happening (or listen, in the case of the musicians) which seems sad.
Me, speaking as a street muso:
it may seem that way, but it comes and goes and we take it in stride. one day a spot we're given can be deader than being outside, but the next day, same time, same spot, same weather, we can be surrounded on all sides and have to throw our "set" away in favor of just playing it up to the crowd we have.
plus, this being something that every performer knows, playing for the RIGHT audience is better than playing for the largest. a gathering of 5-10 people GIVING us attention is worth more than a crowd of 50 where 20 of them aren't paying attention at all - you FEEL the ignorance (i've posted about my hatred of octoberfest before, the ultimate in being ignored by people with more important things to do than actually pay attention to entertainment and what we have to offer). it eats away and the show can die in spite of the 3/5ths of those there who want to listen and experience.
saturday, 5pm boardwalk, we had a HUGE crowd, parents with kids letting them just BE with us, jumping, dancing, smiling, anywhere from 5 to 15 at any point. we threw out our normal closer and just kept the beat going for them. sunday, the other GOOD audience - just one or two kids, but with rapt attention and experience and sharing that you just can't get any other way.
some days are dead (often its the heat that keeps people from stopping), some spots can be deader than others (but with the noise i make, we can't move without bumping into a stage act and i'd rather play nice ;-) ). but we take those in stride as part of our larger experience during the day and during the season.
but really, even as background, we (generally) recognize our importance, and its one you wouldn't notice until you went to other faires that don't have street music. at Maryland, you often can't go 50 feet without hearing SOMETHING being played, LIVE, nearby. in fact, after the gate opens, its overwhelming how much music is going on, with the trumpets at the gate show, the brass band on the gatehouse, morning music, cast that sing at the fountain, the organ, groups warming up at the pubs before they start their own schedule...
yes, i know some performers who would like a little more attentiveness than what we sometimes get, and i certainly have those days myself.
(personal note follows, a little off topic from the original post)
our more annoying times are when the kids want to stop and watch and the parents just keep pushing them from one stage (or pub) or shop to another without any concern for the kids actually *getting* anything out of it. yes, we know there's so much to do and so little time, but we also know that kids can't get everything. its kinda that soccer-mom curse - they're so busy dragging the kids around to where they think the kids want to be rather than pay attention to what the kids really want or need to do (which is often just sit still, or dance around, or just BE).
even if walking patrons don't stop for us, we know that many are in the gate BECAUSE that ambience of something happening everywhere they look, everywhere they go, is always there. it's one of the things that makes a renaissance festival, and particularly this one, unique.
now in my "playtron" p.o.v... (pt 1)
the magic is there, but it moves around. what was once a key part of my "schedule" isn't, but I find new bright spots elsewhere.
sometimes that loss is just because something hasn't changed in so long. I respect Hack & Slash a lot, but I can't sit through their show anymore; ditto the Rogues, once the highlight of my day.
sometimes that loss is just because the people involved aren't there anymore, though I value the moments I do see them even as non-performers.
sometimes that loss is because something has changed too much. The Dragon Inn used to be *my* pub. I could walk in, know pretty much everybody (not just the alekeeps), and park myself anywhere and be comfortable.
now, the Dragon is no longer comfortable. the only spot close to "home" is right by the alekeeps themselves, otherwise I can't hold still in there. something is really different in there and I really don't know what...it's not just the Riddler and Green Lantern fan club, there's something more in there and its somewhat unnerving. aside from a quick "hi" and maybe dropping stuff off for our later boardwalk sets, I'm rarely in there for long. Some of it is that i'm not there in the morning (when more of "my" crowd would hang there), because of having to hitail it from A to the Globe for Midsummer.
pub sing is also different for me, as i've posted before, from the shift of the "campers" over to "my" side, but the 'hart.
one oddity for this year is all the temporary acts for the anniversary. normally, we have 1-weekend guests for the themed weekends, then the regular crew. this year we have very few here for the very few themed weekends (like Barleyjuice for what WAS scottish but isn't 'cause celtic moved), and then we have lots of 2 and 3 week only groups like the 'Broil and Nunny and Gazzo and the like. in a sense one thing that's missing is the bonding that usually takes place backstage with these other stage acts - they're simply not here long enough, and they leave a vaccuum behind. the next "new/old" act brings on a new chemistry and its often a good one, but we simply hadn't gotten the old one comfortable yet and then its taken away. and i think that's on both sides - we want to feel like we've given them a home and it takes more than 2 weeks to do that. thus, friendly as we are, they can't be anything BUT outsiders, even the London Broil who've known some of us for over 10 years.
i do have a feeling of missing a future with the "new/old" crews - we simply don't know which 2-3 weekend group is going to become the next "full run", if any.
so where am i finding it (playtron p.o.v. pt 2)?
shakespeare is good. midsummers is good. REALLY good. tight cast, lot of energy, great script, and a real drive.
I think shakespeare skum has still "got it", too. but note that's all on the other side of the site from your normal "hangouts" (market and joust).
i can always trust the o'danny's to chear me up, though part of that is knowing them personally (and Cami i've known for over 20 years).
Cat and the Fiddle (as i wrote above) always feel that magic when we can connect with the kids and we've had quite a few good "sets" so far. we do wish more 3LF'ers or other fellow musos wouldn't mind a jam or two - we're very flexible. :)
beyond that, just as we're getting old and jaded 'cause we all know each other by now, there's also the watching out for new people. THAT's what has gotten harder. the "family" of regulars has gotten so large that we simply can't keep track of them all anymore. What was once a couple hundred a day now feels like a couple thousand (though I can't say exactly what the season pass numbers are). it's simply too big.
but i keep trying. i keep looking. i keep trying to have an eye out for that one person who just came in 'cause her friends dragged her there and by the end of that day had a complete day's garb and a season pass and was willing to fly 1000 miles from florida to make sure she didn't miss this year ([info]jocelyncs). this weekend, i got to introduce her to [info]just_showtune 'cause by coincidence they happened to be sitting at the same table for pub sing. :)
sometimes, i see the magic in the eyes of someone who is working on cast for the first time after *years* of being a patron, and seeing her not get jaded by the whole backstage cynicism we all have tucked away for a crappy day ;-).
there are so many people in the "family" of regulars, even though there are few people in the performing house, that it can get difficult to see the new people, the ones coming in that first day, that first time. but that's where the magic needs to be created - connecting with that first-timer, showing them this big humoungous village is a giant playground, and hoping they dive in.
so every weekend has had something "magical" happen, but its been different every time. unlike my heyday of magic in the 90s, when a day at faire felt like a day at disney (and i'm not a disney cynic), its not been a case of simply walk into a pub or up to a stage and poof there it is. i have to look for it, work for it, do different things, sometimes work even harder to stay out of "drama zones", to find it.
other times i might just be gifted with a bit by another performer ("pull over, blitzen!" -- Sheriff Middle as he cites me with a ticket for "Celebrating Christmas before Halloween" after I do a morris dance). or maybe us (Cat & Fiddle) giving a brief "gift" of a musical moment to another performer like letting "Baby Stupina" dance or getting Cromwell to go "POP goes the weasel", or suggesting to Tom & Jim to do the bullet catch on last year's closing night.
sometimes, its not me that feels that magic, but i know that i was part of someone else feeling it. somedays that in itself can be enough.
in recent years, I've had to work harder for the magic, but i still find it.
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agreed
Date: 2006-10-02 11:12 pm (UTC)I'd also add that some of the feel of site has changed, as more and more people pour in, but the size of site hasn't changed for years. Granted, layouts and seating and pubs have changed, but sometimes its just too much liek a crowded Disney. When you lose quiet space, you lose magic.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-02 11:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-03 12:22 am (UTC)It's gotten way more crowded. Everytime go anywhere on a nice day, I feel as though I have to weave my way through thick crowds. I'm not a fan of that. When I go on a rainy day, it's much easier. I can enjoy it more, because I don't feel like I'm about to get stepped on.
Having a kid, also makes it more difficult and adding in multiple kids, ups the difficulty. The crowds are so large that it's difficult to take smaller kids, especially between the ages of say 4-8 (the age when they are too old for the stroller but still small enough to get easily misplaced in crowds).
The shops haven't changed enough to keep them interesting. There are the good garb shops and the tackier garb shops, the sword merchants, and more potters and jewelers than you can shake a stick at. I know that if I need my moccasins resoled I can drop them off at Pennsic and pick them up at Faire. I know that when I finally get my act together and put in a patio under our deck, I'll be able to go to the Ren Faire and get one of those hammock chairs to hang from the under side of our deck. Until then, I don't really need to stop there.
I'd like to see a broader diversity of stuff. Falcons Mews does lovely stuffed animals. I've seen no one at Faire this year (or for some time) doing any cool stuffed animals. I'd also like a place that does nothing but hair jewelry. Hair jewelry tends to be lumped in with all sorts of other stuff and I'm not willing anymore to go wading into crowded shops just to see if they have cool hair stuff. Some fiber artists would be nice; with a resurgance in knitting maybe a yarn store would do well.
I love the music. My faire days are often spent either in one venue listening to whichever bands are scheduled or wandering around (usually following the Rogues; I've not yet tired of them, but then I go 2-3 times a season, not every weekend both days) listening to various bands. I don't often linger unless the area is comfortably empty. The Faire has gotten so crowded that I feel it's difficult to just stand in the middle of the street and listen to the musicians without being trampled.
I love that the garb has gotten noticeably better. It's getting harder for me to play "Best, Worst, and Least Dressed". It's virtually impossible to award Best any more because so much garb is very good. Worst usually goes to those wearing weird combinations or obviously fantasy outfits (antler warrior chicks from yesterday).
So, yeah, the "magic" of faire may be harder to find than when we were college kids but it's still there. I still spend a couple of days there each season and will continue to do so for the forseeable future. I find the things I enjoy and make certain to do them.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-03 12:38 am (UTC)I have to admit, it was difficult on Sunday to find the special moments. But my favorite day of the entire season so far has been the rainy Saturday of Labor Day Weekend. The crowds were lite and I felt I could actually see, hear, and enjoy the site. Does that mean on crowded days, like Sunday, I can't see the forest for the trees? Perhaps. But I'm still there, because there's always some part of me that is calm and happy and just simply grateful to be there.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-03 12:48 am (UTC)i think that's one of the ways in which the "magic" is missing for some. it used to be that when we had a rain day, it was just a fest for us and we liked it. now, its a stress between trying to find something to do and dealing with a "new" type of patron we didn't realize existed (the *REALLY* drunken bastard, the type that makes our usually seem sober). last year's singles day really wore some of us out and between that and worrying about damages with every storm because of falling trees just keeps us on our toes rather than "freeing" us.
the rain day for us this year was quite different from the rain days of hurricane Dennis on the same weekend in '99.
as for sunday, well, i know the baebes bring in a large crowd and that bleeds out of their stage (whereever it is - last time it was the market) and into other parts of the site. that's one reason i like the globe - you can park inside there and while crowded at times, at least know that it'll be much harder for something "random" to come into there and blow your day.
of course, we do have to occasionally endure a particular video-taper...
no subject
Date: 2006-10-03 02:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-03 02:48 am (UTC)We do it by bringing a sense of WONDER and JOY to the faire. When we go to find new things we've never seen before, and to greet old friends as if they were as young and happy as when we first met them.
When we worry about "drama zones", we create drama and infect ourselves with it. We need to drama-proof our attitudes by remembering the joys of faire. Be part of the magic, and you'll find the magic.
Doc
no subject
Date: 2006-10-03 12:06 pm (UTC)seriously, its a different place entirely on the other side of that wall, which was the perspective that the original post was coming from. naturally, we're glad that the magic is still out there for the fans and the one-day visitors; its only that we have trouble feeling it as have those days of "going through the motions" sometimes. many who work there don't have the time or place to "find new things", and then see some of the really stupid crap like the drunks or the really stupid costumes (not garb, COSTUMES) when they do break away from their normal "zones".
lack of sleep
Date: 2006-10-03 12:21 pm (UTC)Re: lack of sleep
Date: 2006-10-03 06:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-04 03:48 am (UTC)Why do old people act like children? Because in some ways children have more wisdom about how to view the world than "mature adults" do.
That wall you speak of is just a tissue of lies. Don't believe them. Be young and naive and have fun. It won't kill you.
I've never been a performer at faire, but I've worked faire and I know about the business side of it. I know about running someone else's errands because they've tried to cram too much into too small a break *AGAIN* and the line at the flush privies is too long. And I know that "finding new things" isn't about searching all over the faire for something you haven't seen a thousands times before, but is instead about opening your eyes to what is right in front of you.
Doc