CHAPTER ONE

Congratulations, you are one of the two people to read this Blog! Really, this is such an obscure subject to write a blog about that I am just so happy that it landed in your hands. As for that other person, you really ought to get in touch with each other; I bet you have a lot in common!

Writing a Blog about designing Renaissance Faires is not something anyone has attempted before. Each Faire has been responsible for creating their own internal bibles for explaining the rules and techniques for running and working within their event, but there has never been one source that collects all those small details that many Faires have in common.

I am proud to say that my roots as an artist begin as an art director for the Living History Center’s Renaissance Pleasure Faires in Northern and Southern California. My experience later expanded to include designing for the Disney theme parks as a Sr. Show Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering. Over the years I have designed attractions, video games, theatre sets, and 3D virtual worlds, all the while building on those very first lessons I learned as the designer for the Faire. I can now safely say that many, if not all of the principles I learned in those early years designing outdoor events has influenced and aided me in the design of everything I work on today. Whether it is building with concrete or polygons the basic rules of entertaining people through the creation of theatrical fantasy environments holds true to this day.

This book has been quietly simmering in the back of my mind for years and only now comes to the surface through multiple conversations with other past and present Faire folk that are seeking a source of information on the guidelines for designing and participating in a cohesive themed event. There are enough Renaissance Faires throughout the world for it to be presumptuous of me to suggest that I have all the answers for every event or audience demographic, so I offer my comments and suggestions as merely food for thought.

Renaissance Faires represent an ever growing and evolving industry, and are very often formed by the organic love and energy put into their creation. There are no set rules as to what does or does not constitute a good event, but there are some principles that do work if applied with focused intent. My goal is to layout some ideas that work, not just for Renaissance Faires, but for all variety of themed environments.  I will go over subjects that include laying out a good Faire, explore challenges that are unique to this form of entertainment, and offer tips on making choices that will help make your event not only more beautiful, but more profitable as well.

Have a look through the following chapters and see if there are tidbits that are specific to how you participate in the creation of a Faire. Whether you are the owner, promoter, or one of thousands of participants, there should be information specifically for you. A Renaissance Faire, as with any themed event, is grounded in a group agreement about the style, era, and ultimate goals of the show you are trying to produce. An event will succeed or fail based on everyone’s wiliness to focus their efforts to this shared vision. Building a truly immersive environment depends on the time, energy, and financial commitment of everyone involved, and this I guarantee will far exceed the efforts and capital investments necessary to pull off something like a more traditional crafts fair.

Lastly, this is a love letter to not only the Faires I grow up attending and participating in, but to all those friends who’s lives were equally changed by this shared experience. I have talked with enough of them over the years to realize the impact of those years spent “Playing Faire”, and hope that the notes held within this book will act as a beginning blueprint for future Faires, and help them to build their own unique events upon.