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Appropriate Behaviour, Anachronisms and Moral/Legal Issues about the Faire
Included herein is a description of what we expect of those we work
with, the "rules" if you wish to call it that.
Onstage and Offstage: There is a difference between onstage and
offstage at Faire. Anything that is behind the scenes, not easily visible to
Guests, on the campsite, or in your vehicle is OFFSTAGE. Offstage, feel free
to do all of the things you cannot do onstage. Use plastic cutlery/plates,
call people on your cellular phone, do all of those 20th century things you
need to do.
ONSTAGE is any part of the Faire site that is visible to Guests. Please
remain in character at all times when you are onstage.
Anachronisms: Obviously, some of the most common items of clothing
and accessories we wear today were not around in the Renaissance. Part of the
acting process in a Faire setting is to suspend the disbelief of the guests at
Faire. Basically, this means that we want them to believe they’ve stepped back
in time, into the Renaissance, and that’s rather hard if you’re wearing bright
orange sunglasses and sparkly purple nail polish.
Makeup: Makeup is a common sense situation. Please try and keep it
as natural as possible, unless your character would have obvious makeup.
Gypsies, nobles, actors, dancers....these people might very possibly wear
obvious makeup.
Jewelry: Jewelry is a common sense situation. If you are playing a
Peasant character, please do not wear any jewelry. The only exception to this
request is wedding rings, or anything that you "never take off" that holds
extreme sentimental value. Body piercings are completely out of genre, if at
all possible, please remove all visible body jewelry. If it is not possible
for you to remove a piercing, please do everything in your power to downplay
the jewelry.
Gypsies, Middle Class, Bards, Nobles, Sailors and other classes with access
to money/plunder/gifts wear jewelry. Please use your common sense on what
jewelry is acceptable, keeping in mind that it needs to look at least passably
16th century. Electronics: 20th century electronics can get in the way of the
suspension of disbelief we’re trying to achieve at Faire. Please switch all
pagers to vibrate, and silence all cellular telephones while onstage. The ONLY
exception to this rule is for Security and Administrative workers. Please do
not use Walkman headphones, Game Boy games, laptop computers, etc. while
onstage.
The BIG glaring exception to Anachronism rules are in the case of an
emergency. Break character, and immediately summon security and medical
assistance. Do not try and stay in character if a Guest or other Actor is
injured or sick.
Behaviour on the Faire Site: Please maintain a level of behaviour
that you can be proud of. Be respectful of the land we are using as our Faire
Site, clean up any messes you make, do not set anything on fire that isn’t an
approved bonfire or cooking fire, do not damage any property onsite, and
please be especially careful with the stream that runs through the Site. That
stream is a protected salmon stream, and any irresponsible usage of the stream
could result in catastrophic ecological repercussions. Do NOT throw empty
cans, cigarette butts or any other trash in the stream. Do NOT use soap in the
stream. Do NOT attempt to catch fish in the stream. Do NOT wash yourself, your
clothes or your dishes in the stream. Please let the stream be, with the
exception of friendly dogs taking a wee drink from it, we don’t want it
tampered with at all. Also keep in mind that about a mile up the way, cows
wade in that water, and you run a very high risk of becoming very ill by
drinking that water. Bad idea.
Please camp only in designated camping areas, or inside your booth if you
are a vendor. If you are unsure of whether or not you can camp in a certain
area, please ask Security. Please do not camp anywhere that restricts the fire
lines we try and keep open. Please keep in mind that any food left out will
attract all manner of insects. Please keep all of your food covered. Do not
leave alcohol visible in campsites. Please obey Security if you are asked to
move your campsite, quiet your campsite down, etc. We understand Faire is fun,
and people want to let their hair down and have a good time, but keep in mind
as well that some people actually do want to sleep. Just live by the Golden
Rule.
Please remember that all Washington State, Pierce County and Gig Harbor
City laws and ordinances still are held on the Faire Site. These include, but
are not limited to: Sexual Harassment, Statutory Rape, Assault, Contributing
to the Delinquency of Minors, Theft, Burglary, Auto Theft, Drug laws, Alcohol
laws, etc. Please refrain from damaging and illegal behaviour while on the
Faire Site. Please do not bring obviously illegal weaponry, paraphernalia,
etc. onto the Faire Site.
It’s an honour system. Please be discreet about drinking around minors. Try
and watch your language around the little ones. Do not offer liquor or tobacco
to minors. Play nice. Moderation and discretion are the key words here. Anyone
deemed to be out of control or dangerous will be removed from the Faire Site.
Also, anyone found to be indulging in criminal behaviour will be turned
over to the custody of the police. Be good, kittens.
Weather and Health Concerns:
Wear sunscreen. Depending on the rather capricious weather here in
Washington, we could either be chilled to the bone, or warm as toast. And
nothing makes Faire more miserable than a sunburn. If you feel you’re at risk
of frying like an egg, report to the Security tent, someone there is likely to
be able to share a bit of their sunscreen. But be responsible and bring your
own. Bring plenty of drinking water. You can get drinking water from the Faire
operated food service area as well, but again. Be responsible and take care of
yourself, too. If you feel you are having a health situation, please report to
Security for assistance. Bring warm clothing for the mornings and nights,
which can be very chilly. Extra blankets or a warm cloak is a wonderful idea.
Weatherproofing your tent is a very good idea as well, as the mornings and
nights can get very damp. Know your limits. If you need to sit down in the
shade, sit down in the shade. If you need help, get help. It is a good idea to
bring a first aid kit with you, however, if you need assistance of this kind,
please report to Security.
Lost Children and Parents: If you observe any unattended children,
it is never a bad idea to ask them if they need assistance. If you come upon a
child who is lost, or a parent looking for their child, immediately contact
Security. Immediately. Do not try and find the parent or child yourself. Get
Security. They have radios, and can better sweep the Faire for the other
party.
Port-A-Potties and You!: I should not even have to write this. But
apparently, I do. The toilets are for a specific purpose, and I think we all
know what that purpose is. The toilets are not trash cans. It is not amusing
to tear the seats off the toilets. We have to pay for damage like that. I will
assume all participants of this Faire are toilet trained, and know how to
behave themselves, and functionally operate a toilet. If, for some reason, you
either cause, or come across a situation that needs attention in one of the
toilets, please alert Security.
Parking at Faire: Please park where you are told you can park.
Please do not argue with Staff about where you have to park. We have reasons
for having you park where we do, and that is that we need room for paying
customers to park their cars. Please do not have cars on the Faire Site during
the day. This includes campers. Campers are NOT to be on the Faire site. They
are to be parked in the designated area for campers. Period. If you choose to
ignore the Staff, and park somewhere you have been told not to, your car will
be towed. Trust us, we are doing our best to make sure you have a reasonably
convenient place to park that will not stand in the way of paying customers
being able to park. The customers do come first in this situation, please try
and be mindful of that. If you have to take your car through the Faire site
before Faire starts in the morning, you must have it off the Faire site at
least 30 minutes before the gates open. No exceptions.
Minors on the Faire Site: Minors are welcome to work at the WRFF.
They must have signed and filed with Staff, a permission slip that has been
signed by their parent/guardian. This goes for camping as well. Children under
the age of 16 must be accompanied at all times by a parent, or guardian that
is over the age of 21. If you have brought your children to work Faire with
you, please control and look out for them. Accidents can happen, and all
children are expected to be closely monitored. Please do not allow children to
become problematic for other actors, administration, vendors or security.
Alcohol Guidelines: During the day, while the gates of Faire are
open, the only legal place to be drinking is in the "Alehouse". You must be 21
years of age, holding valid picture identification that is state or military
issued to gain admittance into the Alehouse. Even if you are not drinking, you
may not be within the gates of the Alehouse unless you are 21. You may not
bring alcohol out of the gates of the Alehouse.
Officially the entire site is Dry after closing of the alehouse. Please be
responsible, and be mindful that minors may not be served alcohol. Anyone
found contributing to a minor’s consumption of alcohol will be removed from
the Faire site. Any minor found drinking will be removed from the Faire site.
All people violating the liquor guidelines will be turned over to Washington
State patrol.
Harassment Issues: Faire is fun. Faire is supposed to be fun. Keep
in mind that there is a difference between a bawdy joke and true harassment.
If you feel as though you are being sexually harassed or that you are in any
danger from another Actor, please take it up with Security and try handle it
in an mature and calm manner. We’re all adults, the Renaissance was a rather
bawdy time, and we’re all here to have fun. That being said, do NOT say or do
anything that will make another person feel as though they are in danger of
being violated, compromised or hurt. Play nice.
If you feel as though a Guest is harassing you, do NOT take matters into
your own hands by swearing, hitting or in any other way abusing the Guest.
Walk away from the Guest and report the matter to Security. If you are
physically injured or restrained by a Guest, do what you deem to be the least
violent appropriate action to remove yourself from the situation, and
immediately report to Security.
Please avoid overtly sexually explicit innuendo with Actors and Guests.
Many people find this to be harassment, in and of itself, and the truly witty
person doesn’t need to use coarse language anyhow. Be creative.
Property Issues: WRFF is NOT responsible for the theft of anything
belonging to a Vendor, Actor, Administrator, Security Worker, or hired Player
while they are on the Faire Site.
Please be careful with your personal property. If you are camping on the
Faire Site, consider purchasing a lock for the tent zipper. We should all be
able to trust one another, but the fact remains that even in the shiniest
batch of apples, there’s a rotten one lurking around somewhere.
Please do not leave valuables in plain sight. Lock up any jewelry or
objects of value that you have brought to Faire with you. Do not leave cash in
plain sight. Do not leave your tent unzipped and open when away from the
Campsite. Please make certain to lock your car and put away all electronic
devices you’ve brought with you. Try and avoid any property losses by using
preventative measures.
On the other side of the coin, don’t take things that are not rightfully
yours. End of story.
If you feel as though you are in any danger, please report immediately to
Security. If you feel as though someone else may be in danger, please
immediately tell Security. There are a great many people around at Faire, and
we can’t be everywhere at once. Please know that your help is greatly
appreciated, please feel free to approach Security at all times. Please
refrain from taking the law into your own hands, let Security deal with any
situations that might arise. Please be respectful to Security.
Please also remember to clean up any messes you make, both within the Faire
Site, and also at the Camp Site. If you do not, we may not be able to use the
land we are using now. Be respectful and kind to those that have been kind
enough to let us use this land. Throw away all trash, clean up any cooking
messes, break down your campsite and bring everything back with you that you
brought.
Thank you,
Amy Forsyth, Actor's Director
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