Renaissance Festival War Stories Sept 29/Sept 30/Oct 1, 2023
We are the magic
The Sidequest Players was born of an idea, "What if we did a show from a place of love and kindness?" This was our last opportunity to make that magic. We leave it all in the lanes.
***
I unfortunately do not live up to my own standards all the time. Sometimes people get under my skin, and it blows up in my face, and I remind myself why I posed the mission statement as I did.
There was a gentlemen who had bothered me in a previous year. To be clear: he did not harass me or hurt me - he was the kind of person after speaking with him I knew I would not want to be friends with him in my every day life; I had a vibe check, and he did not pass it. My mindset with him put me on the defensive, and this is not a good thing. He asked about our new act and I let him know what we had to offer including riddles he had enjoyed in the past and sidequests. He asked for a hard sidequest. I gave him what I thought was a near-impossible sidequest: Find the Queen's doppelganger. Apparently he and another person had the audacity to straight-up ask Queen Katherine who this doppelganger was. The idea was for him to keep his eyes open, not to ASK HER. I did not think he, nor anyone would have the nerve or audacity to ask the QUEEN such a personal question. So he returned and told me this and I was shocked. We exchanged a few more words and I felt my distaste for him wane. I was still not as impressed with him as he was with himself. I gave him his stamp of completion, another quest, and sent him on his way.
Then the magic of karma got me for shirking my mission. A little while later, I was catching up with a friend dressed as an elaborate queen, when Queen Katherine approached. At first, I thought it was who-do-I-bow-to bit, and then she mentioned the man who asked about her 'alleged doppelganger.' That was when I knew I messed up. My heart began to race. Then the groveling began.
And went on for several minutes because I messed up badly. The queen definitely does NOT have a doppelganger. Nope. Not even a little. The Queen is right. And Tinka was wrong, mistaken, incorrect, and lucky to keep her head for this egregious error.
Hopefully the boot polishing and public humiliations were enough to earn her forgiveness. She even gave me an ear scratch to show her forgiveness.
I squeaked and curtseyed with joy....Her Majesty said I can still come to dinner too!
***
In weekend five, I talked about the cast awards. The Sidequest Players, Clover, and myself were nominated in different categories. This is a situation of game-recognized-game. The results: Clover won Cracked Cup(rookie of the year) and the Sidequest Players and I lost. The Sidequest Players lost to Gabs the Fool for Bottomless Hat (Best new stage/gridded act), an act who is a true stage professional in their own right. And I lost the Big Picture (Best interactive, veteran, street performer) to King Henry. When the nominees for Big Picture were announced, I said, "Whelp, I guess I'm loosing."
I always say those who win deserve to win. The person I truly wanted to win, my sibling Clover, did win. I do not need the awards from my peers to know I am doing a good thing for the patrons and the festival.
***
I never got to experience the closing show as a cast member over the previous three years the way it could be experienced. This year, the team and I got to be IN the show and be lantern carriers for it. Meaning, we got to be ON the Bad Manor porch and afterwards, carry lanterns to the gates to escort the patrons out the gates.
We clap when we're supposed to clap. We sing with the songs. We laugh with the jokes. We're the model audience. It was something else to see the show from this vantage point. We see the smiles and tears on the audience's faces. We see the camels and the elephants get escorted out one last time. We get to watch the sun set. We share a giant slice of cake with our fellow cast. It's the kind of magic I never imagined and never knew I wanted and needed.
***
The last of the patrons leave and we sing our last songs. One by one, we disperse into the darkness like our own version of Ocean's 11 in whatever order and time it feel natural. This was my best season to date. This was the season I worked the hardest. The season I worked the most. And it was worth it.
...Until the lost tales
...Until 2024
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