What’s Going on Here?
This is the first official blog-post of the Washington Shakespearean Festival, so think of what you are about to read as an Introduction — to us, to our mission, maybe even to Ren Faires and living history in general (if you’re not already familiar). In a more pedestrian sense, we’re going to cover a bit of background, how the site here works, an outline of what we do and offer, and how this blog will work.
So without further Ado About Nothing …
“Previously on …”
The Washington Shakespearean Festival is the brain-child of GregRobin Smith, a.k.a. Robin Plæyr the Maypole Man, a jovial if slightly mercurial font of knowledge fascinated with how the legacy of our early modern history can help us make sense of our present, thereby contributing greatly to our wisdom and joy through creative artistry. The vision (in a very strange, multicolored nutshell that glows an odd shade of green during the new moon), is a loose confederation of performers, seekers, artists and visionaries that share a love of the past and a quiet determination to make the future as good as possible through the exploration of our shared heritage. The dream inspired by this vision is of a series of festivals, conventions, exhibitions and affiliates that rewaken our appreciation for beauty and wisdom and reenchant our perception of the world and one another.
Robin Plæyr: The Maypole Man!
A long-time veteran of living history, reenactment and education, Robyn launched the WSF out of his performances at various Renaissance Faires, Cultural Markets, Performing Societies and Historical Venues, recently organizing the first Skagit Valley Renaissance Faire, formally titled Faire du Well, with rousing success! As flame from a spark, this website and its offerings have sprung up to give the populace a chance to enjoy a taste of the Festival at any time, offer information and resources for participating in the Faire and taking it to the next level.
A Site for Soar-Ayes (you know, Ayes that Soar)
The purpose of this site is to establish online a site where people can experience something of the Faires we love so much. In between Faires, Festivals, Performances and Balls you can thus tap into the inspiration these offer whenever you need, and also handle some of the logistics that are necessary to carve out a bit of wonder and joy in this maelstrom of modernity where we find ourselves. You can virtually stroll down our Merchants’ Row at our online shop, catch some performances on the virtual online stage of our social media channels (most notably including YouTube and Facebook). You can enter our virtual library and peruse the ancient tomes of RenFairey Wisdom in our blog-posts (where you are right now), and you can join us for virtual Q&As or even as a member of our team!
The point is that this website is meant to serve as a touchstone and gateway to seeing the world as something more than either an obstacle to be overcome, difficulties to be tolerated or battles to be won. Life offers us the chance to discover beauty, wonder and wisdom, precisely because it can show us horror, banality and evil, all of which is plain to see in our collective past. It’s up to us look at it all unblinkingly and, through the redemptive power of art, to align ourselves with the what is best.
Many Hands, Light Work (and Reading)
Reflecting our work as performers and event-organizers, this blog will gather contributions from many if not all of us at the WSF. The subject matter, of course, is Ren Faires, History, Shakespeare and his world, cultural reflections — you name it! From how to best experience Faires, where to find the best information, how to make garb and handle “a sword instead of a walking stick,” it’s all fair game! If our approach needs an absolute definition, it would be that we look at history through the lens of whimsy. This doesn’t mean we don’t take it seriously or gloss over the evils that are to be found there, but that a sense of appreciation and humour is grounding in the face of history’s harsher realities. Each of us brings our own style to this appreciation for the past and the legends it has produced, so you will find a strong diversity of voices and styles represented here!
Our schedule runs roughly every week, during which we will post up information related to our activities. This will come primarily in the form of bog posts here, but as we cultivate the vision of the Shakespearean Festival these activities will include new and various activities. The most significant of these will be our various events: the Hallowe’enaissance Ball, Fables Faire, various other festivals and faires where we will attend to add our unique athe rtistry, and of course our tent-pole event, Faire du Well — the Skagit Valley Renaissance Faire.
And All That That Implies …
Of course, the keystone activity that holds all this together is the Festival itself. Right now, the this is developing as a collection of performances across Washington State held through the late summer months. (Specifics will be posted here.) The ultimate vision is to perform every play by Shakespeare every year! This is naturally too much for any one troupe to manage, but the way this can be done is by cultivating all the troupes across the state and arranging a common schedule. In addition to this, there is also in the works a plan to cultivate a permanent campus, where people can come any time of year to realize the fun of a Renaissance Faire and engage with the past in this uplifting way.
All this is in the works and still to come, so stay tuned and watch this space for updates and more!
… no really. Watch this space. This post will be edited in the future with links to pages and posts as they are added.
For now, though, keep exploring this website to find out more about what we do, and we’ll see you at the Faire!