Initial impressions from a Minn. RenFest noob.

[MissBubu]

We had entertainer badges for one year, hasn't happened since. We're just happy when we get water and ice in our limited backstage area between the privies and the trash compactor.

[Charlotte Rowan]

I don't think it was SS, but more likely site crew. But I do not know for sure. I do think entertainer badges would be a good idea, but yeah, probably not going to happen. 

[Rowan MacD]

I don't think it was SS, but more likely site crew. But I do not know for sure. I do think entertainer badges would be a good idea, but yeah, probably not going to happen. 

I thought badges were standard issue for street performers at all the large faires.
    Most here use Favors or ribbons to identify the cast and performers from Patrons. Anybody walking around 'performing' in any way can be easily I.D.'d by anyone working there as Players' and 'Playtrons'.
   

[Random Girl]

.... evidently a musician was interrupted in the middle of a song and asked to show her pass to prove that she was a cast member and not an unauthorized busker. There is a big discussion as to whether this was warranted.

This goes way beyond rude, and in no way could this be warranted. This was someone flexing their muscles, and if I were the management, the person would have been fired immediately.  If there was a question, the offender should have waited until the end of the song, then QUIETLY spoken with the entertainer.

That's what I said, that the person should have waited until the end of the song. The argument was that safety services/site crew don't have time to give people the benefit of the doubt and wait until the end of song to ask discreetly for a pass. I was pretty much lambasted by management and well-known performers for suggesting otherwise, lol. I understand the argument that SS has a lot to deal with, and if it is an emergency I certainly can understand not waiting... but I also can't imagine a musician playing a song posing enough of a threat to call it an emergency. I also don't know if it was SS who interrupted her-- my guess is that it was more likely site crew.

I never thought advocating for common courtesy would be so controversial, but evidently I was wrong.

Perhaps Nessa will chime in.  Personally, I get my pass out and make it visible about ten to.   That way, if I am in the middle of a transaction, or putting stuff away when SS comes through, I don't have to stop what I am doing to dig it out to present it.  I don't envy their job at all.  People are down right nasty to them, and they are usually just doing their job 99.9% of the time. 

Sorry, just checked in on this.  First thing, this was brought up in one of our meetings and to the best of our knowledge it wasn't us.  Firstly, we don't check passes during the day unless someone is in an area they shouldn't be, going through one of the gates, or doing something blatantly stupid.  The performer was doing none of these things.  If she was still performing during site sweep/push at the end of the day then it was warranted but I don't believe this was the case. 
Yes, it could have been one of the new people but I really REALLY doubt it.

There is a contingent of people who thinks its suuuuuper funny to go around asking people for passes in an effort to either be complete a-holes or as they put it "make SS see how stupid they look when they ask".

There is one other possibility in that SS or Management or whoever may have never seen this person before and the concern was that they were not supposed to be there and were "busking" (which is playing or interacting for tips when unauthorized to do so).  Regardless they should have waited until the song was done.

I have no real information regarding what actually happened.  I only know it did and that we (Safety Services) are getting blamed for it both internally and externally.  To the best of my knowledge we had absolutely nothing to do with it but the group mentality is "Well who else asks to see passes?"  Management.  Lots and lots of management.

That's the end of my part of this discussion.  I will not be chiming in on this again.  It's over and has been for a few weeks.  Let it drop.