I have an opinion. This thought has been in my mind for a
couple of weeks and I need to get it out. And I keep feeling like I should
either state that opinion or keep it to myself. So I am writing it down so that
I can stop thinking about that opinion. And it is MY opinion. If you agree,
fine. But if not, it is still my opinion. You do not have to read on.
There has been a little contradiction in my life that I
have come to realize. And I am glad I have realized it so that I do not go
through life with this cynical attitude.
I have been doing Renaissance festivals for 9 years now.
No, it’s not nearly as long as most, but longer than some. And in that time I
have been on many different sides of the spectrum. I have been in the
foreground and behind the scenes. I have been on stage and have watched many
performances. In the past 8 of those 9 years I have been a part of a very small
faire down in South MO. I love this faire. It is where I met my husband and
fell in love. And in the past 2-3 years I have come into a more prominent role
at this faire. I have become “in charge” of certain aspects and work very hard
at working with other people to make the faire a success. This year I decided
to be a part of my local faire after not going at all the year before. And I
want to be completely honest with you. My first year performing at a faire was so
much fun, but mostly eye opening. There was a lot of drama and bitterness and
things that shouldn’t have happened. Because of that I decided to be in the
background of it all. Yes I wanted to be out there, but I didn’t want to
remember the sad parts of that first year. And after listening to others who
had been out there a LOT longer, I became very cynical about it. I complained
about certain decisions that were being made that affected me. I would walk
around and try to perform and have “good moments” while in the background
complaining and hearing complaints from other people. And saying to myself how
I don’t understand why I do this because it doesn’t seem like fun to me. And
when I talk to other people and hear their complaints, I wonder why they are
there as well. We could be at home doing things we want to do rather than trekking
all the way out for a 12+ hour day of “work”.
And that’s when this year the realization hit me. And I
guess it took me being in a position of authority to understand both sides of
the spectrum. Putting together an event, ANY event is extremely hard work. It
takes a lot of effort and people to make it happen. And when something isn’t
working, we try to do it another way. Granted my faire is not big, so I am not
dealing with a mass of people. But I hope I can understand a small amount of
what goes on at the larger faires. There are a lot of different variables that
go on and you have to make snap decisions sometimes. And you can’t always
respond in a timely manner or stay on top of everyone to get the job done. You
have to rely on them and trust that they will do what you “hired” them to do.
And you have to remember that they are there because they enjoy it and want to
make the event just as much a success as you do. I am so VERY thankful for all
those who put their heart and souls into these faires. There are so many that
travel to various faires because it is there way of life and it gives them joy.
And I have so much respect for those larger faires out there who are dealing
with hundreds of people compared to my much smaller number. I am so thankful
for my little faire. The people out there are my “family” and I don’t know what
I would do without their spirit and “want” to be there.
And why do I do it? It’s because I love to perform. People
go out there to get lost and forget about their real lives and what is actually
going on. And that is what I do. So going forward I will endeavor to keep that
in mind. I am there to perform and create an ‘atmosphere’ for those who come
through that gate expecting entertainment.
I don’t enjoy being cynical. Being cynical and negative
gets you nowhere. And I understand that there are other opinions on this fact.
I know that there are other situations which have happened to cause you pain or
sadness or despair. So I ask you then why do you do it? Why do you go out there
every year and perform? Why do you go to the meetings and promos and auditions
if you are just going to complain? I am not trying to change your mind. I am
just stating a realization I had for myself and needed to say in writing.
H
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