One Persona or Two? Or just call you Sybil!

[Alexandra Johanna]

How many faire personas are currently running rampant in YOUR personality closet? Do you have one main persona, or more? How do you choose who you bring to faire each time you visit? By persona, I don't mean you have to actively be portraying your character loudly all over faire at the drop of a hat, it could be just an outfit that portrays a certain style or class, even though your Jersey accent would put Snookie to shame.

My personality closet if chock full of personas, but to date only the wench has actually managed to escape. The faire season is over for us this year, so now is my downtime to work on all the costume ideas the previous season's faire has stuffed into my brain... the pirate, the fairy, the gypsy, the noble, and the latest... the northern barbarian. Its so difficult to choose which one to work on! /giggle

[Delireus]

I've got three outfits I feel I've fleshed out well enough. I don't have an accent or even back stories, but I have a steampunk outfit, a pirate one, and a fairy one. When I went to just 1 faire a year, it was really hard to decide which I wanted to wear, but now I travel to 4 faires a season and go to two three day cons, so I get to wear all 3 of my outfits at least twice.

For the first time ever, I don't want another outfit because I love my three I have so much, I'd be sad to not get to wear them often enough. It's a big load off my wallet (finally)!

[Mairte]

Hmmmm...almost three personas.

[Magpie Flynn]

I have 4 well defined ones and 3 more in development... that looks kinda crazy when written out. lol Didn't seem like so many in my head!

[EmbyrretheFae]

At the moment 14 that have been costumed, fleshed out and used at multiple faires.  In the closet waiting to come out and be costumed are about 30 more

It never ends, and is always tons of fun creating something new, challenging, and exciting to show off

Me

[arbcoind]

For me it's only 2.  Wench or Steampunk.  Vastly different I think.

Gina

[Captain Teague]

So many that at times when all are clamoring to get out, I forget which one got the day pass. 

[Alexandra Johanna]

Oh good! I thought I was starting to suffer from faire-induced split personality disorder!

[ravic]

My main hawker has at least 4 personas. Or maybe they are multiples? She never knows who she is going to be until she wakes up. Always entertaining.

[DT_Masters]

Faire personalty, just two. There is Jonathan Kidd who is the time traveler who is going increasingly native as DT Masters. All know DT, hardly anyone knows Kidd, which is probably just as well since I'm not there to talk about the future.

Acting wise, SEVERAL. It comes down to 2 or 3 main ones, subcharacters I call them, which enable me to make the jump to the persona I am suppose to be. There's Aja (Ah-JAh) who is an immortal playful spirit, who can assume forms as necessary, through time. Aja is only concerned with having fun and "she" can be activated in about 7 seconds. Ie, I was doing "Felix" in an Odd Couple scene and used Aja to get into it. Aja, who saw "Oscar" as someone she wanted to drive insane by her antics, wanted to do it by getting right into Oscar's ranks in a form he wouldn't recognize, as Felix.

Another nice thing about Aja is that I usually use her when I want to play an animal. If it's fun, it's Aja.

Then there is KT, an intergalatic spy who is more receptive to understanding things that are not quite in the viewpoint for the part. Such as if I am prepping in my apartment; KT will see that as a safe house on a primitive world. It takes about 45 minutes to activate KT, but "she" has access to hundreds of personalities (the various stories I have written over the decades) to assume in a blink to handle situations as they change. KT is a telepath so how "she" appears to others is all within the power of the part.

Today, however, for another scene, I think I'll use a slightly different approach than Aja or KT. I have to play Creon in a scene and I think I shall approach it as a Mediator/Guest. Creon is being brought to a foreign land, of oddly dressed people and strange events, where he will present his case. The mediator's job is to interact with the real world. So Creon, is present, in character, the scene is already running, but the mediator handles the affairs of my life until I can bring Creon on stage.

The last time I played Creon in a scene, I played the interactions before as Creon in the future. He does not understand all that has been told to him, but he can communicate with others. The catch is, it is kind of hard to keep in character like that, so I'm hoping that this approach will work better. Crossed, broken fingers.

[Butch]

Only one:  an humble English mariner from Calais, on the French mainland.

[Sir Michael Geare]

I have five main outfits for each of my personas.  Three of them are Ren Faire related and the other two portray other timelines.  For Renaissance, I have a peasant outfit that really doesn't get to see the light of day anymore.  Since I am on cast, depending on the faire, I am either Sir Michael Geare (Gentry) or George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland (Noble).

I also portray Edgerton Castle at Victorian events along with western/frontier wear for my 1800's character.

[auntiegiggles]

I have two personas.
The first is Lady Inga (aka:  Giggles, Mischief, Pompous, or Sinister) - she's basically a Noble Trollop
The second is Fauna Foxbee - A fallin' fairy who loves Ale and Mead

[scarletnyx]

Right now, currently one - Fionnuala, my Druid. I have a few more starting to peek their heads out, but I need to see more garb in person to determine who else will take up residence in my closet. I want to have a good range of personas for different fairs/cons/weather types, so that I can express myself and not faint in the middle of TRF.
But ahhh, this is fun researching and looking at pictures!

[DT_Masters]

Well, the Mediator/Guest had about half and half success.First time using it, it wasn't as smooth as I hoped, but it essentially worked, rather too well as it might be. Creon was only suppose to be talking to Oedipus but in this mode, I "told Creon" for his trip to the future, he would be presenting his case to these people in their strange clothing. So I was looking at all of them as oppose to one person.

Oh, well, live and learn!

[Alexandra Johanna]

So much variety! Some people have one, some have veritable cavalcades! But isn't that the beauty of faire?

I think the fairy is the one I'll be working on next, as least when it comes to wardrobe. I could use something to lift my spirits and one of my favorite things about faire is interacting with the children that notice my shoulder puppet in my wench outfit. Being a playful, gentle fairy sounds like a very pleasant way to pass a day. And maybe also an excuse to get a new, more colorful woodbaby next season!

[Jack Daw at Work]

I've been garbing since 1999 and prefer to stick to my 'Highlander in Great Kilt' character.  I've made small changes to the kit over the years, improving on my bonnet and changing shoes, leggings, and shirts to be more authentic.  I've actually back-tracked on shoes to a more comfortable, thicker-soled "brogue".  And, I've added a walking stick, a wooden tankard, and haversack in the more recent years.

[DonaCatalina]

I think its interesting that people either tend to change personas frequently, or not much at all.

[Merlin the Elder]

At the moment 14 that have been costumed, fleshed out and used at multiple faires.  In the closet waiting to come out and be costumed are about 30 more

It never ends, and is always tons of fun creating something new, challenging, and exciting to show off

You still amaze me, Embyrre.

On the other hand, it's pretty much just Merlin for me. The beard would keep me from doing some of your characters, Embyrre.  I would like to learn to be in the character more. I suppose it's mostly a matter of practice.

[Alexandra Johanna]

Characters fascinate me. I loved make believe as a child. I love it now. It seems like Faire is one of the only places where its "okay" to make believe as an adult. With the way reality is these days, is it any wonder it's becoming more and more popular?

100 more days until Bristol.

[DT_Masters]

Characters fascinate me. I loved make believe as a child. I love it now. It seems like Faire is one of the only places where its "okay" to make believe as an adult. With the way reality is these days, is it any wonder it's becoming more and more popular?

100 more days until Bristol.

Not necessarily, both from the reality stand point and from the "play" standpoint.

I was taught that as a teacher, one puts on a certain face, a certain personalty when they walk in the door. Their problems in life are left outside and what better way to do that than not be that person while teaching? One may not be a totally different person but they might be focusing on a certain quality, borrowing from another character to achieve their goal. So for teaching, I might be using an image of "Francis 7" or "V.H. Adderly" (ie, very friendly, positive, upbeat) to focus my presentation.

I once had a project report where the team disintegrated right before the report was to be given. As other presentations were being given, I organized my thoughts of what I was going to say, then got up there and played/mimiced Civil War historian/college president Frank Vandiver and got it done. I copied his mannerisms, the way he spoke when I heard him talk years earlier. "Playing him" was a blast. Of course, I wasn't actually being him, but I was using his presence to align my actions to.

It is possible that in the future, I might have the job as MC and if I do, I am likely to play a character doing that, whether partially or totally.

As it is, I do love to be other people, whether acting, dancing, or for that matter, being in the audience. It's fun, it makes it easier to let the show interact with one.

[EmbyrretheFae]

At the moment 14 that have been costumed, fleshed out and used at multiple faires.  In the closet waiting to come out and be costumed are about 30 more

It never ends, and is always tons of fun creating something new, challenging, and exciting to show off

You still amaze me, Embyrre.

On the other hand, it's pretty much just Merlin for me. The beard would keep me from doing some of your characters, Embyrre.  I would like to learn to be in the character more. I suppose it's mostly a matter of practice.

Staying in character can be difficult depending upon where you are performing and the people one encounters.  I have had a few people run up and call me by my real name and they get solidly ignored.  I figure if someone goes to a lot of trouble and expense to bring forth any character to the public they deserve the respect as a performer to be addressed by what they are presenting.

and thank you, Merlin  the feeling is mutual!

[WindChime]

I have many different persona's. They just are not 100% final. I don't think any of my outfit will ever be done since I always find some way to tweak some of them every season.

[SirRichardBear]

When I'm teaching I'm sah bum nim its not playing a roll exactly but it goes with the uniform and my outward persona is different more formal because that is what is required to teach the art.  Its kinda like that at faire when I'm Beare there is a uniform and a place and to me its part of what being at faire is about.  While the name is the same the uniform is different at Sherwood than at Scarby so persona changes a little, less formal at Sherwood were I'm just Beare compared to  Scarby were I'm Sir Richard Beare. 

[DT_Masters]

At the moment 14 that have been costumed, fleshed out and used at multiple faires.  In the closet waiting to come out and be costumed are about 30 more

It never ends, and is always tons of fun creating something new, challenging, and exciting to show off

You still amaze me, Embyrre.

On the other hand, it's pretty much just Merlin for me. The beard would keep me from doing some of your characters, Embyrre.  I would like to learn to be in the character more. I suppose it's mostly a matter of practice.

Staying in character can be difficult depending upon where you are performing and the people one encounters.  I have had a few people run up and call me by my real name and they get solidly ignored.  I figure if someone goes to a lot of trouble and expense to bring forth any character to the public they deserve the respect as a performer to be addressed by what they are presenting.

and thank you, Merlin  the feeling is mutual!

It's tough enough in class where you prep to submerge into character before class but then you have to deal with the prof before you perform. I've been experimenting with subcharacters to maintain the main character and yet have an interface though it is not perfect yet. Further, sometimes, as when I did Creon, the subcharacter approach is flawed so the performance is flawed. One approach I've considered is a subcharacter who can play me. It is needed for some time, some day, there will be a director out there interacting with me, not the character.

One of the good things about playing DT Masters is that a lot of people know me by that name. Granted, they know who I am in real life often enough as well so it isn't perfect but as the song goes, "it gives me time to think".

I think one needs to learn to respect the performer for who they are portraying; that is something that I did not know early on. On the other hand, though, it goes both ways. When one is not performing, they want those around them to interact with them as they really are, not as the person they were on stage. For those not in this world to some extent, that point is often tough to get around......ie, Shatner's "Get a life"?

[DonaCatalina]

Mainly just one for myself, I have Elspeth Forbeys as a backup if I want to go as a Scot.
Your subject line caught my eye as I have a Bulldog named Lady Sybil Duchess of Morpork.
I have an extensive background built up for my character to make it easier to hold a coherent conversation with cast members.
Otherwise the conversation doesn't last longer than a sentence or two.