So i just heard that there will be another round of auditions on April 30th... and i really would like to audition, but as im a faerie, and the lovely Miss Twig is on cast, it makes me a little nervous... Would it be acceptable to audition, or is that in bad taste? maybe im being a little too timid hehehe, and i do have a few talents to offer including: dance, mime, playing the didgeridoo, and being a general lovable goofball, my garb could use a little bit of work maybe.
so should i go for it? or wait a bit? advice, tips, anything would be appreciated!
Well, I'm not on cast (just a playtron) but I can think of no reason why there can't be more than one faerie. I know my daughter would love to see some make fae folk. But as I said, I'm not on cast, so with my advice, you get exactly what you paid for! Opinion and BS. ;D Hope to see you there!
Besides Twig there is a green fairy on cast that i know of so i would say try out they use to have a couple more years ago.
Well, Widget, if you don't audition, you won't be selected. My advise is to go for it. What do you have to lose?
As for the audition itself, I have two pieces of advise: (1) Get your garb in tip top shape before you do; Jim Paradise is a stickler for garb. (2) Find a way to make your act distinctive and not just another Twig wannabe.
Good luck.
Thank you all for the advice!
Garb is my biggest issue at the moment... well i think it is anyway (except the wings... the wings are awsome!) i can post some pics of my garb for a critique if anyone is interested. Ive ordered a couple things that havent arrived yet. my biggest issue is my shirt... grrrrrrrr
My bit of garb advice:
Key pieces are appropriate headgear, drinking vessel and shoes. Those things you don't think about.
Shirts can be fudged. I've had shirts made, I've made them, and I've found them at Dress Barn, Old Navy, and Goodwill. Granted, most of my shirt was covered by my bodice, but all of them worked for different reasons, with my favorite being the Old Navy one. Cheap and washable!
Audition advice:
Do it! Wear your best put together garb, but don't worry about it if it isn't perfect. Garb does not make the performer (unless you happen to be the king or something ;) ) Do your bit to the best of your ability, make it unique and fun (and family friendly).
Thank you Tanda! I you all are really getting revved up to do this, im going to type up my actor's resume tonight!
One small note on the garbing issue- if you're in need, this lady- http://www.delilahskeepe.com/ - is fantastic. I work with her almost exclusively. She's up to any custom project you need. I don't know if you need anything, but I try to give her as much exposure as I can.
Oh thank you Night hawk! Im seeing a lot of things that ive been looking for!
Was also wondering if anyone could tell me what to expect at the audition, if you cant tell that cool hehehe i will just fly by the seat of my pants!
Quote from: Widget on April 19, 2011, 09:44:12 PM
Was also wondering if anyone could tell me what to expect at the audition, if you cant tell that cool hehehe i will just fly by the seat of my pants!
I was kinda wondering that myself. I am heavily involved in living history, so we don't exactly have and hone characters. We teach about the politics, economics, religion, skills, etc, of our time period. I myself give demonstrations on leather working, and all the period tasks a leather worker would have had to perform, the real use for bracers, things along those lines. So I don't have a character per se, but it would be fun to be the Queens Highlander for a summer. I noticed last year that the Royal Party was missing their Highlander from years past...
Yeah im invisioning the audition involving a lot of improv
Hi Widget! I got to this kinda' late it looks like, but I agree with what has been mentioned above! You should definitely go for it!
Like they said, just because we have Twig doesn't mean we can't have other fairies. It's not like she has a monopoly on the market or anything. We've actually had multiple fairies for many years. There's been Helia the Sun Fairy, Guinevere the White Fairy, Serendipity, Caliope, and a bunch of others whos names I can't quite recall. That being said, I have heard that for a long time our faire was being somewhat overrun with auditions for fairy characters, and those in charge decreed they would not be hiring anymore. Mind you, it was quite a while ago that I heard that, so the audition "landscape" may very well have changed since then.
But ultimately, you'll never know unless you try!
An important tip: think very hard about why your character would be someone people would come to the festival to see. Try to really play up the parts of your character that people (ESPECIALLY CHILDREN) will just go nuts for. If you really want to impress the audition panel (and yes, from what I understand, you'll probably be auditioning in front of a panel) the best thing to do is to show them that your character is something people are going to be talking about for weeks, months, or even years afterwards. So consider carefully what YOU would want to see at the faire, and what kind of character you think that you, as a patron, would find the most fun, interesting, and memorable - and then consider carefully if you think that same character will be entertaining to others.
Beyond that, make sure your costume is as nice as it can look, but don't get too hung up about it. If they like your character enough, the costume is something they may be willing to compromise on, or allow you to upgrade to their specifications.
Quote from: Nighthawk on April 19, 2011, 11:03:18 PM
Quote from: Widget on April 19, 2011, 09:44:12 PM
Was also wondering if anyone could tell me what to expect at the audition, if you cant tell that cool hehehe i will just fly by the seat of my pants!
I was kinda wondering that myself. I am heavily involved in living history, so we don't exactly have and hone characters. We teach about the politics, economics, religion, skills, etc, of our time period. I myself give demonstrations on leather working, and all the period tasks a leather worker would have had to perform, the real use for bracers, things along those lines. So I don't have a character per se, but it would be fun to be the Queens Highlander for a summer. I noticed last year that the Royal Party was missing their Highlander from years past...
As far as this stuff goes, I say if you want to audition, once again, just go for it!
From what I understand (mind you, I never went through the formal audition process) you go into a room with a sort of panel made up of the Entertainment Director and a few other "big wigs" (usually seasoned performers and the like), and then... well, nuts, I'm actually not sure what then. I think they probably tell you to give them an idea of what exactly it is you want to do there, then demonstrate your character in some way. And Widget is probably right, I think there is a lot of improv involved. But beyond that... yeah, not sure.
At any rate, I for one think it would be pretty cool to have someone on cast with a background in living history. If you're looking to do a Highlander character, I think there's actually a lot of room for that right now. It used to be that, just like the thing about fairies, we had nothing but Scotsmen flooding in. That hardly seems to be the case anymore however. Once again, I think if you can prove yourself to be memorable in some way (and in my opinion, having a knowledge of period crafts and lifestyle can greatly assist you in this) you may have a fighting chance.
Ok, so first off... OMG JACK!!!! your like one of my most FAVORITE cast members at the faire!!! *regains composure*
Thanks so much for your input! Ive been practicing with my sister out in the back yard, and as for memorable, if a male fae isnt i dunno what is!!! lol, i know that that isnt everything, just trying to get pumped up!
Had a garb issue today the vest i ordered came was delivered today and it was BLACK!!!! Not brown like i ordered... was quite miffed about that, totally threw off my concept a bit (but totally wokrs for some pirate garb ive been piecing together on the side) but i can work around it i think
I desided that im just gonna go for it, worst they can say is "no"
Quote from: CapnJack on April 20, 2011, 10:38:15 PM
At any rate, I for one think it would be pretty cool to have someone on cast with a background in living history. If you're looking to do a Highlander character, I think there's actually a lot of room for that right now. It used to be that, just like the thing about fairies, we had nothing but Scotsmen flooding in. That hardly seems to be the case anymore however. Once again, I think if you can prove yourself to be memorable in some way (and in my opinion, having a knowledge of period crafts and lifestyle can greatly assist you in this) you may have a fighting chance.
I'm back and forth on the issue for a couple reasons- biggest one is that I'm just myself, and not Hamish MacSheeplover or some such thing. I have no background in theater- what you folks do and what we do are 2 totally different worlds. I guess it's just the apprehension of having
no clue what I'd do! I don't know that I take a roll of hides and my tool case and start carving for an audition! Do the faires have any sort of... I don't know... support groups for new cast members?
Problem Number 2 is that reality is not quite as fun as fantasy. I don't wear a great kilt, which is what most people expect. I wear a wee kilt- an untailored variety, which is in a lot of ways more accurate that a full size great kilt, given the economy of the period. (See? There I go, teaching again!! ::) ) So I don't know that I could give people what they would
expect to see. Maybe I'm just overthinking this... ::)
I do want to do this, but I can't quite get it right in my noggin, if that makes any sense at all!
Welp the shoes i ordered will most likely not be here by the audition... So im stuck wearing my boot covers, or modern boots... gah!
Quote from: Widget on April 21, 2011, 04:26:47 PM
Welp the shoes i ordered will most likely not be here by the audition... So im stuck wearing my boot covers, or modern boots... gah!
What did you order? Footwear is something I need work on.
I ordered a pair of leather viking boots because they have curled and pointed toes and lend themselves well to my garb.
Quote from: Widget on April 21, 2011, 05:29:23 PM
I ordered a pair of leather viking boots because they have curled and pointed toes and lend themselves well to my garb.
Where did you get them? If you don't mind me asking...
Nighthawk, I think you'd be surprised by how many people on cast are not actors. Mostly they are people that want to enhance the atmosphere of faire in meaningful and good ways. Cast is one way to achieve that. Being a fantastic playtron is another. Being an amazing boothie is yet another.
I went to my audition with a Simplicity pattern costume, a great big voice, a bit a friend of mine wrote, and a willingness to put into the faire the energy I had always gotten out of it. I had a vague idea of a character- based on my real life job (high school teacher) -and my costume. I hadn't a name or anything else. That came later.
If you think you have the time and energy to put into making faire the best time and place for each person that walks in, then I would encourage you to audition.
Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.
Tanda that was great! maybe im a little more prepared than i think i am!
Quote from: Nighthawk on April 21, 2011, 08:14:38 PM
Quote from: Widget on April 21, 2011, 05:29:23 PM
I ordered a pair of leather viking boots because they have curled and pointed toes and lend themselves well to my garb.
Where did you get them? If you don't mind me asking...
http://medievalcollectibles.com
their footware is pretty reasonable my pair was $70 but one day i want a pair of custom leather gypsy shoes with the curled toes... those will run me in the 500 range
oh! an update on my black vest that was supposed to be brown, Its a men's corseted vest with the lacing down the back, i wove some vines down the laces added some shiny trinkets hun from loops on the chest, a steampunk/old fashioned measuring tape and fringed the bottom left side with tons of ribbon. it looks much better! I am going to the Fairy and Elf parade in Boulder this saturday so ill be sure to upload pics!
Quote from: Widget on April 21, 2011, 10:57:52 PM
http://medievalcollectibles.com
their footware is pretty reasonable my pair was $70 but one day i want a pair of custom leather gypsy shoes with the curled toes... those will run me in the 500 range
oh! an update on my black vest that was supposed to be brown, Its a men's corseted vest with the lacing down the back, i wove some vines down the laces added some shiny trinkets hun from loops on the chest, a steampunk/old fashioned measuring tape and fringed the bottom left side with tons of ribbon. it looks much better! I am going to the Fairy and Elf parade in Boulder this saturday so ill be sure to upload pics!
Thanks!! There's a fairy and elf parade? That's truly bizarre!! Wish I could go! Sounds really cool!
yep all the fairies go to weak up all the tulips!
Quote from: Widget on April 23, 2011, 12:27:03 AM
yep all the fairies go to weak up all the tulips!
I am going to the Colorado Railway Museum, so I won't be able to make it. Take some pictures, if you can. It sounds like a great event!
ooosounds fun! the Colorado steampunks go do that on free day!
Quote from: Widget on April 23, 2011, 02:37:16 AM
ooosounds fun! the Colorado steampunks go do that on free day!
Oh, I have looked through their picture galleries! I would love to join them... but the Renaissance Scots keep me too busy. And this year even more so! I was elected to the board of directors and the creative coordinator, which puts me in charge of intake, orientation, and recruitment of new members. The think I'm personable and knowledgeable or something. I guess I have the whole lot of 'em fooled! ;D
HAHAHA!!!
Aye, Tanda put it very well! Let us know how the audition goes!
Thanks Capp'n!
Cast or not, I will be there for opening weekend, ill be sure to throw something at yo... Say hello!
Just got back from the audition... i think it went well!
Fantastic! So I'm really curious: what exactly was it like?
it was really laid back! Her majesty the Queen was there, and she would interact with you in character, a small interview, and i sang a song for good measure
Quote from: Widget on April 30, 2011, 07:09:19 PM
Just got back from the audition... i think it went well!
Good! I wasn't able to go- I had other obligations for this weekend. I look forward to seeing you!