New Faire in Texas

Would love to hear Owen and Cantiga at this faire in Oct 2006.
take a look:  www.middlefaire.com 


For those who don't know me, I'm Cedric, and I play fiddle for the
Bedlam Bards. You can find out all about us at www.BedlamBards.com.

Paul Delacroix asked if I would serve as entertainment director for
Middlefaire, and being a glutton for punishment, I said yes.

In truth, I'm quite excited about Middlefaire. Paul has a strong 
vision
of making a faire that won't be overrun by corporate interests, that
will be fun and different for all involved.

Before I would sign on as entertainment director, Paul and I spent a
good while discussing entertainment philosophy. So that people can 
know
what our goal is, I want to sum up the points that we agreed on.

As we see it, renfaire performance has several special qualities that
set it apart from other forms of entertainment.

*First, faire performance is personal! We have something no 
television,
movie, or radio will ever have: the ability to interact with our
audience. Performers should be ready to engage the patrons, not only
during shows but throughout the festival day. This means staying in
character, even offstage.

*Second, faire performance is magical! The magic of faire is that we
can give patrons a sense that they have stepped into another realm,
another time and place. For that reason, the site design will do all 
it
can to promote the medieval ambience. Modern appliances will be
concealed from the patrons to help promote this illusion. 
Entertainers
won't have to perform next to a huge plastic beer sign or a row of
plastic port-a-cans, and patrons won't have to "tune out" modern
conveniences next to stages. The faire will do all it can to support
performers in creating the illusion of another time.

In keeping with this goal, Paul and I have decided to take a fairly
radical step that will set Middlefaire apart from other festivals:
We're challenging entertainers to remove ALL modern references,
especially humor based on modern references, from their shows.

So does that mean we expect every detail to be historically accurate?
Definitely not. We'll still tell jokes even if we can't prove they 
were
told in the renaissance. We'll still sing 18th-century drinking songs
to the accompaniment of acoustic guitars or autoharps. We'll still
dance the korobushka. We'll still sing 20th-century songs as long as
they don't have overtly modern references.

So what does it mean? It means we won't make jokes about current
events, or pop culture references. I'll drop the line "I just saved a
bunch of money on my horse insurance" from my show, even though it
always gets a laugh. It means that we won't break into the macarena 
in
the middle of a song. I think that we're all clever enough performers
that we don't have to make modern references for our shows to be
hilariously entertaining.

Does this mean we can't sell CDs and tee-shirts? Of course, we'll 
still
sell CDs and tee-shirts. All of us still have to make a living. There
are limits to authenticity-but Middlefaire is setting the bar
slightly higher than some faires, especially when it comes to humor.
We're doing this to enhance the magic of faire, not to be draconian
or snooty.

*Third, faire performance is acoustic! Few things remind patrons that
they're not really in the past quite so much as the sound of a
microphone. Thus, there will be no amplification, except in extreme
cases approved by the entertainment director. Our rule of thumb is
this: If the patrons can tell you're amplified, then you shouldn't 
be.
In no case will the use of electronic effects be approved.

Again, it's not our goal to be stuffy authenticity-nazis. Our goal is
to create a magical experience for the patrons, a feeling that 
they've
been transported back in time. It's not that we don't like amplified
music or modern jokes; heck, I can do amazing things if I run my 
fiddle
through a Zoom 505 effects box, which I plan to do-after the faire
closes. But that's not what I go to faire to do, and it's not what
patrons come to faire to hear. They can get amplified performances 
and
discussions of current events by turning on a television. We're
shooting for something different, and we invite you to join us in 
that
vision.

James Hazlerig
aka Cedric of the Bedlam Bards
Entertainment Director, Middlefaire






 
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