Renaissance Faire Costumes

Renaissance Faire Costumes
How to work in the Renaissance Faire circuit?

I totally love the Renaissance, and the costumes, and acting and all that jazz...and the Renaissance Faires are so much fun. How does one go about working at one, and being in the actual circuit? And is there like a summer troupe or something?

Step One
Invest some time and money in putting together one or two Renaissance-style outfits (see "Dress for a Renaissance Faire," under Related eHows). Many Web sites offer suitable costumes, and if you sew, you can look for Renaissance costume patterns on the Internet and at your local fabric store.

Step Two
Attend a local Renaissance faire or two. Talk with the merchants, performers and other employees of the faire about their experiences. Get a realistic impression of what being part of a Renaissance faire is all about.

Step Three
Search the Internet for Renaissance faire organizers. There are several throughout the United States. Here you will find a calendar of faire dates and employment information. Many organizers sponsor online bulletin boards that contain employment advice and help wanted ads from merchants and performance groups.

Step Four
Contact large faire organizers well in advance of the local faire date. Potential performers may be expected to attend training sessions for the three or four weekends preceding the opening of the faire. After the training sessions, faire organizers will let you know whether you have been selected as a performer.

Step Five
Be prepared to work for very little compensation ' or none at all! The competition for jobs at any Renaissance faire, especially those involving performance, is immense. For most if not all of the faire performers, compensation comes in the form of freebies and discounts.

Step Six
Be prepared to give up weekends for at least two months to work at a large faire. The faire organizers depend on the reliability of their performers and employees. Remember that there are many others willing to take your place.

Step Seven
Look for paid employment as a faire employee. Jobs involving custodial, maintenance and gate work are available. Paid employment can also be found with one of the vendors or merchants attending the faire.

Step Eight
Know that permanent faire employment is difficult to obtain. Most faire employees and performers are drawn from the local population. If you want to travel the Renaissance circuit, join a performance group that travels with the faire or obtain permanent employment with a faire merchant.

Step Nine
Consider the seasonal nature of Renaissance faires. Although faires are held in the sunbelt during the fall and winter, most occur in the spring and summer months only, so year-round employment is not guaranteed.

Check out Internet newsgroups such as http://www.deja.com/usenet/alt.fairs.renaissance and http://www.deja.com/usenet/alt.ren-faire for information on faire life and employment.

http://www.dmrenfaire.com/participants.shtml

Join the crew! Sleepy Hollow and Festivals International are looking for enthusiastic and experienced actors, actresses, or others who have been a part of Renaissance events. We are also looking for inexperienced village folk who are willing to learn a character. If you are interested in becoming a part of the Des Moines Renaissance Faire, as a character or as a vendor or merchant, contact: Greg Schmidt at (641) 357-5177 or e-mail.

http://www.faires.com/location.php

http://www.renfair.com/NY/participant/jobs.php

Renaissance Fair