This is why I still go out and perform at the Dickens Christmas Fair in San Francisco
A little over a week ago, a friend (who used to do Renaissance Faires, many years ago) asked me if I still get anything out of doing Dickens Fair after all these years. He sounded a little skeptical when he asked. After all, I commit myself to not seeing most of my chosen family or even getting any downtime every single weekend from mid-November until the end of December. And I know I miss out on a lot by making myself unavailable that way.
Do you ever do those events that are physically exhausting, but leave you way more energized when you're done than when you started? Yeah, this past three-day weekend was one of those. I am still glowing from it. Yes, I still get something out of doing Dickens Fair, even after all these years. I am sad that I missed out on chilipantz's birthday celebration, which judging by all the status updates people posted about it on FB was spectacular, but my weekend was pretty darn spectacular too.
I posted a couple of comments in another friend's journal that I'm going to plop part of in here to hint at what I find so great about performing out there.
End of the day at Crips (aka the Three Cripples Pub-- yes, lots of us call it that) is... ...a jam session. It sort of ends up being mostly led by whichever group was in there playing first, and as the day winds down random folks with instruments and varied levels of abilities to use them from amazing to annoying tend to show up and join in... ... we really are just playing for our own delight in making music, not because people want to listen to it. But, see, that means it's organic and more alive than if it was some set show, so I'm all for it. It makes for some incredible music sometimes, and some incredible trainwrecks sometimes. And sometimes magic happens and we find faire has been closed for well over an hour and we're still playing and it is glorious.
...we were still playing music in the Three Cripples until 8ish Sunday night-- we were having one of those brilliant sessions where we couldn't quite manage to stop. Every time we'd start to wind down and get ready to call it a night, someone would start some fabulous tune and we'd all be playing again. Security just looked at us, shook their heads, and walked past without even bothering to include Crips in their sweep.
My schedule out at fair this year is ridiculously grueling, but I am loving it. I'm performing with three different groups, a couple of which have overlapping stage times, which pretty much means no breaks during the day-- I get one half hour free from about 2:30 to 3:00, and that's it. I have to find a food booth with a short line right then or I don't get to eat during the day! Playing music and singing with Rats in the Haggis (in various spots on the streets throughout the day), playing music with the Newcastle Waites/ Thruppeny Uprights (at Mad Sal's for the Pipe and Bowl Morris dancers, the Silk Road stage, and at the Bruno Academy of Music), and Irish step dancing with Siamsa le Cheile (on stage at Fezziwigs Warehouse) have me running myself ragged, but so far it's splendid. Oh, right, plus taking at least a couple of shows off per weekend to spend a bit of time corset modeling for Dark Garden Unique Corsetry's booth. Plus, of course, improvisational street theatre while running from one stage to the next. Whee!
Yes, I am a glutton for punishment, but I am also a stage whore, and when you get to perform with some of the amazing people I am fortunate enough to get to, it is exhilarating. When you are constantly being complimented and praised by performers who you respect and admire, and when you get to make magic with them like we did over and over this weekend, it makes all the hard work seem effortless. It feeds my soul.
Photos are starting to surface-- if you want to see a little of what I do and what I look like in costume, take a gander at the pics people have been tagging of me on Facebook. There are only a few so far, but as the weeks of fair progress plenty more will appear. Those folks who were at grlfury, thaemos, and sundayhangover's Halloween party will recognize a variation on my Halloween costume as my last-minute theme for my Dark Garden modeling gig this past weekend.
photo by miceland Hope he doesn't mind me re-posting it here.
Do you ever do those events that are physically exhausting, but leave you way more energized when you're done than when you started? Yeah, this past three-day weekend was one of those. I am still glowing from it. Yes, I still get something out of doing Dickens Fair, even after all these years. I am sad that I missed out on chilipantz's birthday celebration, which judging by all the status updates people posted about it on FB was spectacular, but my weekend was pretty darn spectacular too.
I posted a couple of comments in another friend's journal that I'm going to plop part of in here to hint at what I find so great about performing out there.
End of the day at Crips (aka the Three Cripples Pub-- yes, lots of us call it that) is... ...a jam session. It sort of ends up being mostly led by whichever group was in there playing first, and as the day winds down random folks with instruments and varied levels of abilities to use them from amazing to annoying tend to show up and join in... ... we really are just playing for our own delight in making music, not because people want to listen to it. But, see, that means it's organic and more alive than if it was some set show, so I'm all for it. It makes for some incredible music sometimes, and some incredible trainwrecks sometimes. And sometimes magic happens and we find faire has been closed for well over an hour and we're still playing and it is glorious.
...we were still playing music in the Three Cripples until 8ish Sunday night-- we were having one of those brilliant sessions where we couldn't quite manage to stop. Every time we'd start to wind down and get ready to call it a night, someone would start some fabulous tune and we'd all be playing again. Security just looked at us, shook their heads, and walked past without even bothering to include Crips in their sweep.
My schedule out at fair this year is ridiculously grueling, but I am loving it. I'm performing with three different groups, a couple of which have overlapping stage times, which pretty much means no breaks during the day-- I get one half hour free from about 2:30 to 3:00, and that's it. I have to find a food booth with a short line right then or I don't get to eat during the day! Playing music and singing with Rats in the Haggis (in various spots on the streets throughout the day), playing music with the Newcastle Waites/ Thruppeny Uprights (at Mad Sal's for the Pipe and Bowl Morris dancers, the Silk Road stage, and at the Bruno Academy of Music), and Irish step dancing with Siamsa le Cheile (on stage at Fezziwigs Warehouse) have me running myself ragged, but so far it's splendid. Oh, right, plus taking at least a couple of shows off per weekend to spend a bit of time corset modeling for Dark Garden Unique Corsetry's booth. Plus, of course, improvisational street theatre while running from one stage to the next. Whee!
Yes, I am a glutton for punishment, but I am also a stage whore, and when you get to perform with some of the amazing people I am fortunate enough to get to, it is exhilarating. When you are constantly being complimented and praised by performers who you respect and admire, and when you get to make magic with them like we did over and over this weekend, it makes all the hard work seem effortless. It feeds my soul.
Photos are starting to surface-- if you want to see a little of what I do and what I look like in costume, take a gander at the pics people have been tagging of me on Facebook. There are only a few so far, but as the weeks of fair progress plenty more will appear. Those folks who were at grlfury, thaemos, and sundayhangover's Halloween party will recognize a variation on my Halloween costume as my last-minute theme for my Dark Garden modeling gig this past weekend.
photo by miceland Hope he doesn't mind me re-posting it here.