Change or Not? Entertainment at Faire

[Merlin the Elder]

I'm curious as to what it is that people look for at faire for entertainment.  I know we get used to certain performers, and we certainly have our favourites, but is there a time to have, or let, them move on?  I ask only to spur on a discussion, not an argument.

It's my opinion that change is necessary to the survival of a faire. That change can be simply that the same actors have different acts, and we don't lose our faves. But sometimes, the actors just don't seem to come up with anything new, sometimes for very long periods. That was the case with one of our personal faves, so it came as no real surprise when their run ended at one of the faires we attend.  As much as we hated it, we were also relieved.

Should anyone blame the owners? If the act has stagnated, then my opinion is most definitely no. On the other hand, for any popular act that is bringing in new material each season, it would be total folly for owners to drop them.  The key is obviously keeping it fresh.

We all have different tastes. One act that is extremely popular, and is at (seemingly) every faire in the country (at least that I'm attending) I find totally out of place, and totally irritating. My mission is to be on the other end of whatever faire they're performing at. I dislike the act that much! But that's just me. I don't like coconut, either.

I appreciate being exposed to new entertainers, fresh comedians, new old music (?). No, it's not all good...some sucks, and other acts are great. Without opening slots for the new acts, by not bringing back the tired old acts, we might not have ever had a chance to sample the really good new entertainment that faire has to offer.

Basically, the question may be, why do you go to the faire every year to see/hear the same acts?

Any participants in the discussion are urged to keep it general. I don't want anyone naming and trashing any acts!

[The Rabbi]

I personally think if you are going to hire the same act then they should really be prepared to bring something new to the table, I dont often watch a movie more then once either. Now I am a big Sam Elliot fan and will watch him in any movie he appears in and Sam Elliot plays Sam Elliot but the role is different. I have a corp group of performers that will appear hopefully for many years to come as I have seen them at several other fairs and have yet to see the exact same performance out of any of them. There is nothing wrong with a favorite group as there is a certain amount of comfort in knowing they will perform a favorite tune with a sing a long or two. However I also believe that as a fair owner I am responsable for giving a new act a chance to showcase thier talents as well. If you are standing still you will soon start to stagnate it is the Fair Owners responsability and duty to his/her guest to provide the biggest bang for the buck that they are capable of providing. If an act is allowed to stagnate then the fair owner or entertainment director should be capable of informing an act to pick it up or pack it up.

[Anna Iram]

*shrug* It's a business. Sometimes contracts can just not be agreed upon for financial or scheduling reasons.  Sometime there are personal differences and the fit is no longer there, and sometimes it's just time for change on either side.  I like seeing old favorites year after year, feels like coming home, but it's nice to see new talent as well.  Change happens. It's the circle of (faire) life.

I do however think if you find your faire has overlooked a favorite performer, write them and let them know they are missed. Petitioning is a good thing if kept respectful

[Rani Zemirah]

Oddly enough, we don't really watch all that many shows.  There are just so many things to see and do at Faire, and trying to get to a particular stage at a certain time is generally more than I can manage, unless we're with someone who wants to see something specific.  If we happen upon a stage that is just about to start a show, and it sounds fun or interesting, though, we'll sit and watch.  So I guess we just haven't really seen any of them enough times to have gotten tired of the material... yet. 

[Tink]

There are some acts that were my absolute favorite when I first started going to faire, but over a decade later, some are doing the EXACT same show they were doing back then...  I've already seen/ heard it soooo many times I have it memorized.  Now I just get bored watching them.  I would love to see them come up with new material, but if not, then I'm no longer interested.

I am on both sides of the fence- I like being able to see those familiar people/ acts that have become part of the overall "faire" feeling for me, but I also enjoy seeing the new stuff and finding new favorites each year.

Just my two cents.

(and Merlin, I am sooo curious as to what would make you go out of your way to avoid a particular show!  PM me if you would be willing to share!)

[Captain Teague]

Oddly enough, we don't really watch all that many shows.  There are just so many things to see and do at Faire, and trying to get to a particular stage at a certain time is generally more than I can manage, unless we're with someone who wants to see something specific.  If we happen upon a stage that is just about to start a show, and it sounds fun or interesting, though, we'll sit and watch.  So I guess we just haven't really seen any of them enough times to have gotten tired of the material... yet. 

I echo Rani. I go to faire to relax, meet with friends and just set my own pace. Being obligated to catch X's show has never been part of my routine. But I look at it as any other type of entertainment venue, a club being the prime example. If they host a house band and it keeps them coming in, awesome. But that house band will also need to change their venue at least a little often or they will get stale to the audience. And if it gets too stale, then the house will hire others to keep interest high.

And also like any other venues of comedians, bands etc....those change up with new material and new songs, etc. And yes like Tink I have some "favorite" performers, but their same old show gets tiring and only used when I bring newcomers along to share in the magic. But they still need to change up once in a while.

My actual favorite entertainment is interacting with the mundanes, especially the younglings. Todays children are tomorrows Participants afterall. 

[DonaCatalina]

I like to see my old favorites but I guess I'm finally old enough to realize that some things will change. New and talented acts are always welcome in my opinion.
It is inevitable that we will lose some acts either because they move to a different part of the country, finances force them to take steadier work, they age out of the act, or not to be morbid, but they leave this life altogether.
I'm grateful that there seems to be plenty of younger people willing to step up and continue to entertain us and become our friends.

[Gauwyn of Bracknell]

We travel to several faires each year and always try to attend at least one new one.  With that said, I like change.  If there is a particular act we like seeing, I am sure we can find it somewhere.  From a business side, change is important to keep the vast majority coming back, most of them not having the connection that the regulars have.  We approach Faire differently too, our home Faire, which we attend several times each year, is much more social with friends, whereas the ones we attend once per season are more about the shops and acted, and our chance to see new things.

[arbcoind]

I usually do not sit through a show.  There is way too much to do than sit at faire.  I like some others find it necessary to interact all day long with friends and 'danes.  It's what a wench does.

Gina

[raevyncait]

There are acts that I LOVE, and acts that I also will go out of my way to avoid. It's a matter of personal taste, really.
There's one act that does several major festivals, on prominent stages, which I've stopped to actually watch all the way through a total of maybe a dozen times over the 5 years I've been going regularly to faire. They have a different show for each timeslot at Scarby, yet I know 90% of the lines for each one. I encourage newbies to see it at least once, but I don't make any effort to go, unless I'm taking someone specifically to see it. It's not that I dislike the act, but I would love to see them come up with something new.

There are acts that I've seen at other festivals that I would LOVE to see at Scarby, but alas, they don't come this far south or west.

There are acts that I miss from Scarby, but I'm thrilled that they've found more success elsewhere, whether it be on the stage, or whether their time at faire was only ever intended to be temporary.

[Carl]

I like to see the Faire tweak their lineup every once in a while. Mostly we only watch the musicians because they change their song list . The big shows ie dedbob  and mud show to name two are fun to watch once but for the most part never change, they are there for the one day a year faire goers and with so much to do and see we can't sit there for a long show. We go 6 or more differant faires besides are home faire MIRF so we get to see some old friends that no longer play at MiRF.

[Rowan MacD]

Oddly enough, we don't really watch all that many shows.  There are just so many things to see and do at Faire, and trying to get to a particular stage at a certain time is generally more than I can manage, unless we're with someone who wants to see something specific.  If we happen upon a stage that is just about to start a show, and it sounds fun or interesting, though, we'll sit and watch.  So I guess we just haven't really seen any of them enough times to have gotten tired of the material... yet. 

Ditto Rani and Merlin-Hubby and I like the shows when we need to rest our feet, but will rarely sit through the same one more than once, and more often than not, we will skip the shows entirely.
   It seems that most of the 'successful' acts out there never seem to change or add much material, or at best have 'rotating' shows so they don't appear to do the same one more than once per day.   This works for the 1 day patron, but those of us that are there all day, everyday, we don't bother to watch after one time, and will skip it entirely the next year.
   Stand up comedians know that you are only as good as your new materiel, same with magic acts and storytellers.  I do agree with Merlin that while certain acts are good the first time or two, if they never deviate from the 'formula' they have always used, they are doomed.   I can think of a few acts and two in particular that I really don't know why they are still working at the big venues.   I have heard mundanes complain that it was the same show last year, and they won't bother to see them again.  

[BLAKDUKE]

I do not go to faire to see acts.  I go to walk around a bit do some shopping talk to and play with patron, and then hit the pub.  Mainly I find I cannot do the walking to much any more.  My physical afflictions(every itis know to man in every joint I own)  make it so.   Sometimes I think I even hurt in places that do not belong to me.  When we go to Atlanta, it is usually one turn around the faire, a stop at the tea garden for lunch and then sit in the pub until end of pub sing and then go home.  I have seen most all of the acts in one variation or another.  The only time I might sit thru an act is if we bring friends that maybe have not seen Ded Bob.  As for repeats, I could be wrong but most of them do not change because they play to a different crowd every week and there will be a good percentage of them who have never seen the act.  Now from the other side of the coin, I have delivered the same lines at faire for many years, and yes they are old and repetitive to me and I have even heard the comment ' why don't you get some new jokes'.  This from the significant other of one of the performers, to which I reply 'why don't you sit down and write me some'.  Keep in mind that very few of the great comediens of the past wrote their own, material.   Hope, Benny, Berle, Durante and all the rest had writers so if you not a professional comedian and can't afford that, then you are stuck with what you yourself can come up with, and unfortunately most times that is very little.

IMHO:  That and $1.25 gets you a cup of coffee.

[Elennare]

I enjoy seeing new things, but I also enjoy seeing repeat performers.  That said, if at least something in the act doesn't change every few years, it gets stale and boring.  Seems everyone agrees on that.

Another reason I'll go see the same show year after year is because my friends are in it.  That makes it MUCH more interesting/entertaining.

Currently, I'm stuck in the position where the only faire around doesn't have ANY of the type of acts I really enjoy.  I really like the comedy truck shows, especially if they're the sword fighting variety.  The faire I can go to?  Has musicians.  And like 2 children's "theater" shows (we'll pull audience members up to act out the little kids story).  And I think one magician (also aimed at kids).  Music is nice, but it's not my primary reason for going to faire, and when it all sounds the same it gets boring fast.

[LadyStitch]

There are certain shows who's performers we are friends with, and we go to their shows to show support. Then we do try to see one new to us show each time we go.  I just remember the years where we were running from one show to another at TRF and I really wasn't having that much fun.  There is something about picking 2 shows we want to see and then meandering from one place toanother.  The PP had the most fun just finding a cool bench and parking himself there and people watch.  He had alot of younglings come by ( and cute girls  )  He also got to chat with alot of different people. 

There are certain shows that just out grow faires.  I know of one act that started at TRF and now are performing in vegas and other large venunes, but they started at faires.  If they didn't leave our faires that we enjoy, others across the US and world wouldn't be enjoying them now. Yeah, it stinks they are no longer there, but now there are new acts to see, and maybe become as big as they are.