Castlewood House: A Renaissance Historical Reenactment Guild

Castlewood Caller


Volume 2, Issue 6 February, 2002

The Seneschal's Report



By Robert O?Lalor, Editor

Less than three months are left until The Shasta Highlands and Celtic Renaissance Faire. Your seneschal?s famous mood swings have had their way and he is in a manic panic trying to figure out what is going to need doing in the rapidly shrinking time frame.

Lady O?Lalor has had the Elna (sewing machine) humming and has produced some truly wondrous items of garb. I am working on improvements for the "Perch" and I trust that all of you are in a similar spirit.

The website for the faire has undergone a major revamp do visit it at: www.shastahighlands.org I have also found a newsgroup that caters to rennies at: alt.fairs.renaissance



Yet another website of interest is a site my good friend Jim Lemon sent to me regarding the border area in which Lamont is set This site can be found at: http://www.nwlink.com/~scotlass/border.htm



So much for the websites. I have it on good authority that Czar Ivan will not allow Nikita Romanov to leave Russia this year but Boyar Romanov is sending a representative, Dimitri Nagrov of the Ukraine Cossacks, to scout ahead for trade possibilities.


Thank you all for your patience...

Robert O?Lalor



The March Meetin? (St. Pat?s!)

By Marie Belongie



From westbound Eureka Way, turn left down Orange Ave. (this is the street right past Morrison's Warehouse and across the street from Foothill High) go one block and turn right onto North St. 1st house on the right is it. It's the corner house of North St & Orange Ave. Beige house with a motorhome in the driveway.

2310 North Street.

phone: 243-3276 Pat

I'm still not sure exactly which dances I'm going to teach. Probably Strip the Willow and either Black Nag or Horse's Brawl (I still need to figure out a couple of steps on that one) If anyone knows the steps to Annie Plucks Pears, I'd love to learn it. I have the music and the steps written down, but I've never danced it before.

Steve and I are going over our order lists and will probably be placing our first steel order soon, just in case anyone in the household is interested in ordering anything in particular.

Talk to you later!

Rie



The State of the Exchequer
Treasury/Ways & Means
Committee


The Academy

Policy/Education Committee

Now in the midst of February, we are starting to realize just how quickly Faire is coming. We only have roughly 2 months 'til ShowTime and everyone's spirits are high. Thank you to all that made it to our last guild meeting. It went off well. For those that did not make it. The meeting was mainly on stage and street technique and we touched a little on language (seeing that I misplaced my paperwork during my move). We discussed the ways to gig with each other as well as with the audience. Remember that good gigging should be fun for all parties involved and discussing a gig with the person you want to gig with gives it a better chance for going well. Our next workshop will be on Saint Patrick's day (which is a Sunday). So try not to drink too much green ale the night before. This will be our 2nd to last workshop, It will be on language as well as different dances....men and women can learn some simple street country dances that we can perform in front of the guild house or in the tavern as well as belly dancing and highland jigs and reels. This meeting will be held at OOO's house (directions to the house will be given soon). The next workshop will be in April and will most likely be a rehearsal/ overview. I cannot stress to all just how important these workshops have been. Not only do we get knowledge out of them but we get to know each other more each time which will help us to work as a family. So for all of you, please make it to the last 2 workshops, for they are very important for us all. Thank you.

TIPS FOR BETTER B.F.A.:

B.F.A. Basic Faire Language can be learned several ways. I find that one of the quickest ways to learn B.F.A is to rent British films. Shakespeare and BBC productions. Historical documentaries or movies make it easy to hear the dialect and form of speech used by Elizabethans of the 16th century. movies like: Elizabeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Sense and Sensibility, 12th Night, Henry the 5th, Shakespeare in Love, Emma, Richard the 3rd, Hamlet, to name a few...if you can find the time, it will be well worth it to watch some of these again and again. Another thing to do is read up on the Complete Works of Shakespeare, this will help you a lot with the phrasing of speech. It works even better if you hear it then read it. I will also be giving out copies of Language next month to those that don't have them. We will practice speech next month as well (for those willing).

Retrospective


Historical/Secretarial Committee


Time keeps moving along. The next house meeting in on Sunday March 17 at the home of OOO in Redding. After that the meetings will be held in Anderson River Park every Sunday in April. Please try to make it to as many as possible. There will be a few changes at the faire site this year. What used to be the Animal Shelter is now a cement pad and the road of the faire will extend out towards it. Our encampment will have a different location by the gazebo. The road will be in more of a cloverleaf shape rather than a figure eight. The jousting area is in the same area, but being modified to accommodate more spectators. If you go to the park you can see the progress and changes already taking place. The water front area will be more of the "exotic" I.e. "Sea Faring" area. The boys from crystal Creek will be working more days too helping set up the walls and signs and what ever else needs doing. As we all know this being our "home Faire" there is a lot more set up and tear down that takes place besides our own encampment.

We are still working on having a $10.00 and under craft wagon. If everyone makes 4 or 5 (or more) things to be sold, that could be a good fundraiser for the guild. We also need favors for handing out to the public, information for the items in our encampment, flags for the perimeter ropes, all the little details that bring it all together.

The Kiwanis Club is taking care of the parking $1.00 per car. Showers are available at Anderson Athletic Club, porta-potties will be placed in the actors camp. There will be a $5.00 donation for camping in the actors camp.



The Props Project


Art & Design/Properties
Committee
Plans are underway to work on the trailer on the first weekend of March at the Browne?s starting Saturday Morning at 9. We plan on attaching the outside spot lights, the new running lights and perhaps start replacing the wall panels. Other props can also be pulled on that day and worked on. Hope to see you all there, bring your tools and good ideas.



The Final Word:

A Letter from Lord and Lady Browne

All Good Folks,
The calendar is set for the up coming season. There are still a few events to which we might apply but as by popular demand, we print the calendar.
April 27 & 28 Shasta Highlands Renaissance Faire
May 18 & 19 Mayfaire, Placerville Ca
June 22 &23 Fair Oaks Faire Sacramento Ca.
July 20 & 21 Central Coast Faire, San Luis Obisbo Ca.
August TBA Pittsburgh Ren Faire, Pittsburgh Ca
Sept 14 & 15 Shrewsbury Faire Oregon
Oct 19 & 20 Folsom Faire Folsom Ca.
Please try to get to as many events as posable, like a fine clock, the loss of one wheel slows down the whole.
Starting in April the workshops for our Faire will once again be on Sundays at the Park, please come and help the new folk. You are now the seasoned veterans and your experience is needed. Also please keep up your ideas for entertainment in the 3 Crows Tavern at the Faire. This will be our showcase to our home area.
Hope you are one and all well and look forward to the start of our new season
Lord & Lady Browne
Guildmasters