Research on Location

Subject: Research on Location

The weekend before Thanksgiving break I was able to go on location to do research for my independent project. My topic is Renaissance Faire acting, and I was able to experience and partake in my subject, which was extremely rewarding. One discovery that I found and never noticed in the past – I’ve attended the faire for four years – was that even if one does not work at the faire itself, a visitor cannot help but act a part. I found myself speaking in an accent, a habit I picked up from my Scottish grandmother and grew out of years ago. I also found myself using greetings and expletives that subscribed more to the Renaissance time period rather than current times. I realized that when surrounded by actors everywhere – even the vendors spoke with accents and made bawdy comments to most customers seeing as they were wenches – it is nearly impossible to not become another character in another time. Renaissance festival is a liberating sensation where it is all right to become someone else for a day and give in to fantastical desires. And for you gamers out there, its almost as if you are LARPing for an entire day, even if you are simply a visitor. Its just unfortunate that we can’t all be paid for the people we become.