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THE MODERN RENAISSANCE FAIRE EXPERIENCE
PURSUIT OF FANTASY IN AN ALTERNATE REALITY
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| CONTACT ME | THE ACADEMIE | FAIRE TRIBE | SWORDPLAY | FAIRE EXPERIENCE | ABOUT RAY |
Where does it all began:
I began participating at Renaissance Faires since 1995, and considering faire has been around since the mid 60s that's a drop in the bucket. Faire has been in Southern California for over 45 years and some of my friends, including my very first Guildmaster Sue Honor has been onboard since the whole inception. Faire has changed hands, company names and it has spread to what it is today, en empire conglomerate for entertainment that on certain days could give Disneyland a run for its money. I'm not saying this because of what the faire has done for me in the past or that the owners treat me like a son, quite the contrary, I'm saying it as I see it.
Participating at faire takes a special type of person. A person that loves to have fun, entertain other people, like to get dressed up in strange clothes at 98 degree weather, should, yell, laugh, brawl and at the same time be part of a huge cast of characters that serves the public, but first and foremost that person has to be an "Attention Whore"., and I am happy to say I am one. In fact 99% of the faire participants are all attention whores like me or we wouldn't be back year after year doing what we all love.
The faire is actually a huge interactive stage, some people may consider it a world within a world, as just like Knotts or Disneyland, within the gates is a fantasy 16th century merry old England. All the participants do is make you (the patrons) happy, let you enjoy a day of festivities, laughs, music merriment and entertainment. I personally belong to a group at faire called the Gentlemen Adventurers who portray landed gentry of the Elizabethan age. We are all third, fourth, fifth or younger sons of nobles or other gentries. Actually I'm the only noble blood within my group, being a son of a Baron. But that's beside the point, all we do is entertain and make fantasy into a believable reality. The Gentlemen Adventurers are usually, Infantry, Naval or Calvary officers in the Queen's army.
I was brought into the faire
community by a friend and classmate back in '95 and since then I've started
to
participate at other smaller faires like Big Bear Renaissance Faire, Escondido
Renaissance Faire, Long Beach Faire (when it was around), San Diego Renaissance
Faire - which I was the Fight/Battle Pageant Director for 4 years, The Santa
Barbara Faire (when that was around) and on a two occasions the Northern
California Renaissance Faire. Perhaps one of my biggest things I love about
faire is the brawls and swordfights my group does out at faire. There are NO
other group that could perform what my group can do, which to perform duels of
gentlemanly honor on the streets. I think in the past we've wowed and stunned
the patrons and audiences more than once with our performances and the GAs train
year round to get precision and perfection in technique, style and acting.
In the off seasons the GAs are part of the Bankeside Schole of Defense where training in historical western martial arts will go on to help each member improve on their fighting skills. I was one until I became an Assistant Instructor and in 1997 opened up my own branch of Bankeside Academie of Western Martial Arts along with Ken Hanley and Kelly Rogers now located in Receda.
In Real Life (Common misconception)
To most people who don't know or
understand what is the renaissance faires or it's participants, the faire people
are simply labelled "carnies". Over the years I've heard fellow
participants begin called everything under heaven which I very strongly object.
Not only are there people absolutely great, but are among the most loving,
caring, and loyal group of people I know, who so happen to have a 'REAL' life
outside of the faire season. Even the crew move from gig to gig to setup and
teardown.
Many of my friends are businessmen and women, teachers, doctors, engineers, nurses, paramedics, accountants, computer programmers, truck drivers, car salesmen and so forth. I even have a few friends who happens to be Astro-physicists and Molecular Biochemists. All these wonderful people do at faire is to make the parton's day. Entertain them and impart on them a tiny slice of English history and life. Yet for those who don't understand, there's life outside of faire, everyone seriously works for a living. I myself am a Makeup Artist and Photographer and I'm among the many within faire to be called an improv actor, because it is my job to see to the audience has a wonderful time and keeps coming back year after year to enjoy the experience.
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