Seeking The Handbook of Basics for the Serious Renaissance Player

[Al-Nimer]

I agree with the last thee posts.  I come to faire mostly dressed and leave that way.  In fact I still have my pants & ren shirt on   (Mostly because I'm too tired to change!)

However, I can see why the cast & those in stage show acts would change so as to not be so easily recognized outside the faire.

[DonaCatalina]

I thought I might add a little tidbit that I left off my original post here.

Try to avoid using thee and thou and ye. I know you saw a lot of thees and thous in Shakespeare when you were in school, but the usage is actually a little tricky. You should avoid saying thee or thou to someone unless,
well, its someone you can kiss or kick.

examples: Thou art knave and I denounce thee for the thief that you are!

or, How do I love thee, let me count the ways. (apologies to the poetess)

Now Ye comes about in the 18th century from misreading the old Norman French alphabet. An alternate symbol called thorn replaces the th. - þ -And in some cursive scripts this looks like a Y.
So in fact, Ye Olde Tavern is really just The Old Tavern.

[Your Grace]

I thought I might add a little tidbit that I left off my original post here.

Try to avoid using thee and thou and ye. I know you saw a lot of thees and thous in Shakespeare when you were in school, but the usage is actually a little tricky. You should avoid saying thee or thou to someone unless,
well, its someone you can kiss or kick.

examples: Thou art knave and I denounce thee for the thief that you are!

or, How do I love thee, let me count the ways. (apologies to the poetess)

Now Ye comes about in the 18th century from misreading the old Norman French alphabet. An alternate symbol called thorn replaces the th. - þ -And in some cursive scripts this looks like a Y.
So in fact, Ye Olde Tavern is really just The Old Tavern.

So if one should not use thee or thou what would one use?

[DonaCatalina]

I thought I might add a little tidbit that I left off my original post here.

Try to avoid using thee and thou and ye. I know you saw a lot of thees and thous in Shakespeare when you were in school, but the usage is actually a little tricky. You should avoid saying thee or thou to someone unless,
well, its someone you can kiss or kick.

examples: Thou art knave and I denounce thee for the thief that thou are!

or, How do I love thee, let me count the ways. (apologies to the poetess)

Now Ye comes about in the 18th century from misreading the old Norman French alphabet. An alternate symbol called thorn replaces the th. - þ -And in some cursive scripts this looks like a Y.
So in fact, Ye Olde Tavern is really just The Old Tavern.

So if one should not use thee or thou what would one use?

You works just fine. 
If you are on friendly terms with someone you could use thee and thou.
I is just recommended that you otherwise not because the usages are complicated.

One would not address the king, for example, by Thee or Thou, unless of course one were his wife in their privy chambers.

You might address your best friend with Thee, such as "I would have thee join me in the tavern for a pint"

[SirRichardBear]

This was something we learned in our history, custom and manners lecture which I was totally unaware of.   But it does remind me of a line from the old John Wayne movie Angel and the Badman were girl say the familiar thee and thou are only used with family: man to wife, parent to child, or between sweetheards all others are you and they.

Of course knowing this will let you play a little more caste (checking ahead before hand of course)

Like Lord Patrick thou are a villian to our favorite scottish bad boy Patrick Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell which is an insult in at least four ways.

[raevyncait]

How much I change depends on where I am going and who I am going with after faire.
One group of friends (who perform) and I change back to our jeans & t-shirts before going to dinner, largely because, as someone else mentioned, it allows them to be off-stage while they are eating.

Another group of friends (playtrons) and I don't change completely, usually, but I at least get out of my bodice and skirt & get the girls contained properly before we go to dinner.

If I'm going directly home from faire, I drive home in my chemise & bloomers if I'm not stopping to go in anywhere, whether it be dinner or the grocery store.

[sapphire_skye01]

A kilt (and I am not speaking of the Great Kilts) is NOT a costume nor is it garb..it is clothing and can be worn anywhere at anytime. Would you call a sari garb or a costume? What about the roosari of Iran? I believe we(the Scottish) fought for this right a long time ago. I know alot of men who have opted to wear kilts in their everyday lives, to work, to church, wherever. So, if they wear their kilts out to AppleBee's after faire I doubt it will cause much of a stir.

[SirRichardBear]

Oh it will cause a stir I know because I wear my kilt out to the pub and other places.  Most of the time its positive I've had many people come up and say nice things a few are not so nice but then what is new about that.  However perfectly correct a kilt is not costume nor is it garb, doublet etc I wear at faire is gab but me kilt is just highland attire and can be worn anyplace if you are willing to answer question.

[Your Grace]

I know that is bad form to go to faire in the royal colors but what about the wearing Chains of Office?

[captmarga]

i notice you said most not all change

It happens - some forget to bring a tshirt, or their clothes get wet when the tent blows down.  In that case, some go in their faire pants/trews and poet shirt...

Capt Marga

[Brittney]

I said most Highland Gamers, as in those that compete in the true full Highland Games that we hosted on third weekend. Those boys and girls that are not members of cast and throw can follow whatever rules they like, however knowing most of them for the last couple of years pretty closely they want out of thier hot sweaty gear at the end of the day and so change before we go share a meal.

For the cast it is a matter of being off stage, being comfortable and being requested by faire management to not go out in our costumes after the faire day has ended.

Brittney

[DonaCatalina]

I know that is bad form to go to faire in the royal colors but what about the wearing Chains of Office?

I would say that if you know someone on cast is portraying the rightful holder of that office, you should not wear it also. But there are many chains of office and fealty which you might wear besides the Lord Chancellor's chain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livery_collar

[Gauwyn of Bracknell]

We come to the faire dressed and leave dressed.  I think we look great in 'public' and have had many come up and ask why we are dressed,  their responses are very positive.

[lys1022]

We come to the faire dressed and leave dressed.  I think we look great in 'public' and have had many come up and ask why we are dressed,  their responses are very positive.

Unfortunately, for everyone like yourself who acts responsibly when outside faire in faire clothing, there are two or three others who make drunken idiots of themselves or are, quite plainly, obnoxious in their behaviour.  Those are the folks who give everyone a bad name and who give renfolke a bad reputation with some of the town folke.

But, it's really preaching to the choir as I doubt that the ones who act that way read these forums, and the folks who read these forums wouldn't act that way!

Lys

[tiberiusflynn]

With over 15 years of doing stage theatre, we have many traditions and rules. one of them is that you NEVER wear your costume anywhere but on the stage.

I think it translates to Faire also. I believe the Actors themselves should not wear their "official" faire garb in public outside of Faire is it breaks the "fourth wall". Now, Faire doesn't really "have" a "fourth wall" but it does break the "Magic" of those specific characters existing in that specific place.

Now, if there was other faire garb that was not of their character from Faire....then I think that's acceptable.

When I escorted my gf and her students to School day at TRF last year, I met them at the inside of the front gate and when it was over I left them at the gate and stayed inside Faire till I knew they were on their school bus.

I stayed in character the whole time, accent and all. Answering all their questions with my characters backstory.....lol and what questions they were!!!lol. 4th graders can ask some hard ones....heh heh.

But  I felt that for those kids, I had to make it seem like Faire was so magical and special that I did not, nor could not exist outside those walls....and I'd like to think it worked. To this day my GF says they still talk about the Pirate Captain Jack (not sparrow). lol.

Now, if you're not an official actor of the Faire...then I think you can do whatever you like and wear whatever you like......I personally, wear my pirate outfit whenever I can for any occasion that calls for it.