DEVELOPING A REN FAIRE CHARACTER
by Mark Davio, ATF Staff Writer

So you want to be a Ren performer? But you don’t know what you want to be? You might have some idea of what to want but you don’t know how to put it all together. Or maybe you have an existing character that you would like to improve.

Whether you are a Rennie as a hobby or for a living, if your character is a walk around or you’re a skilled performer you need a personality conducive to the period. Most of the faires I have had experience with prefer authenticity — the more authentic the better: authentic in costume, speech, manner and persona. Although these all are very important, they individually or together don’t make up your character.

I remember I once had the opportunity of a lifetime to meet one of the nations best marionette makers. I was trilled that I was going to actually get to watch this professional in action. Puppeteers from around the world envied his puppets. He made them with such precision and skill. The costumes were exquisite. The sets were works of art. The stage was a masterpiece. He was presenting a famous children’s tale. I sat there my heart beating rapidly in anticipation. As the music started and the curtain opened…. I had never been so disappointed in all my life. I watched in horror, as this master puppeteer couldn’t make his puppets walk from one side of the stage to the other. What a let down! He didn’t know how to perform the most fundamental task of puppetry. He just dragged them around from place to place. This totally ruined my viewing experience, I felt empty; I didn’t even want to go back stage to see them up close. To me the art was hampered. They were just nicely dress dolls on strings.

You see, he had all of the makings of a great puppet show: the costumes, the workmanship, the attention to every
detail, the mastery of the soundtrack. But there was still something important missing. It was the SOUL of the art, the basic task of manipulation.

Likewise, your character is more than just the best costume, the finest props, a great accent; it goes
deeper. It delves right into the very center of who you are.

So where does this soul come from? That’s what we will cover in the next few segments of this article. When we think about character development, we must consider several questions.

• First, what is character?
• Second, why develop a character?
• Third, where do I start?

1. The combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another.
2. A distinguishing feature or attribute, as of an individual, a group, or a category.
3. Genetics. A structure, function, or attribute determined by a gene or group of genes.
4. Moral or ethical strength.

Second, why develop a character? It is a MUST to have a good quality character to make your performance believable. Too often I have observed ren performers like John. John is a guy who thought it would be cool to be a knight. He has the armor, the sword and even has a good accent. But to watch John in action, he’s just… John dressed up in a knight outfit, and when John is not in the public’s eye, he is John and not the knight…with no distinguishing differences between the two people.

Third, where do I start? Character development can become a very complex procedure. But for the sake of time and space, we will keep it as simple as possible. We will examine all of the qualities it takes to build character and to incorporate it into your individual acts. By coming up with distinctive attributes for your character, your personas will be not only complete but also unique. Let’s start with a pencil and a sheet of paper… some of this will seem very mundane, but it will all come together.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT 101
Our first exercise will get us off on the right foot and we will finish up in the next article. This is an exercise that a lot of professional actors use when preparing for a role.

1. Decide what type of character you want to be. Write that at the top of your sheet. (Example: MINSTREL)
2. Now write a name. (Example: ALFIN the MINSTREL)
3. Number your page down the left up to 15. Write down answers to these 10 questions (as your Character would answer.)

1. Who gave you your name?
2. What does it mean in your culture?
3. How old are you?
4. What are your parent’s names?
5. Where were you born?
6. Do you have any family?
7. What is your skill?
8. How did you attain it?
9. Where you educated? To what year?
10. Do you have a pet? What's their name?

Next issue…

• Character attributes
• Character assimilation.
• The do’s and don’ts of performance
  

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