The Rules

Updated April 2007

 
This is the icky bit.  Yes... we do have some rules.  Every effort has been made to keep them to a minimum (and thusly keep them out of the way).  The last thing anyone wants to do is hamper the actors' ability to create a great show for our paying guests.  That being said, the quality of the show and the safety of our members cannot be guaranteed without some set guidelines and if we cannot guarantee those two fundamentals... no faire, parade or school in the world will want us to come 'round. 

Please note: In the event of conflict, rules set by the faire we are attending will supercede our guild rules.

• Every guildmember is required to have a character, name, and garb, all approved by the guild master.  As a practical matter, a deadline (usually one month before faire) will be set by the guildmaster in order to create a cohesive show.
• We are governed by costuming requirements and restrictions so consult your guildmaster before you spend money on cloth or pre-made garb.  A handout is available (found here).  Help is also available if you are not gifted with the needle.  Please do not wait until the week before faire to ask for help if you need it.  That is too late.
• Guildmembers are required to present themselves in a period manner, even when eating and drinking.  Goblets, tankards, plates and utensils are readily and inexpensively available at local thrift stores.  If you must consume something from plastic containers, you must do so out of sight of the patrons (backstage).  Nothing is so damaging to the patron’s suspension of disbelief as the sight of someone in perfect period garb eating a snow cone out of a plastic cup.
• “Call Times” are an integral part of acting.  Sometimes you will need to be somewhere at a specific time for a specific event, barring emergency, you are expected to keep your call times.  We are a loosely-structured guild in general and these will be kept to a minimum.
• Short morning meetings will be held each morning ½ hour before the gates open.  Attendance is mandatory unless prior arrangements are made with the guild master.  Please note: “hung over” is not a good enough excuse to miss the meeting.  This is when we will plan our day and we will need everyone there.
• Every guildmember will be required to present themselves in garb and in character for the full day of faire.  If you are not available every weekend, or have special needs, contact the guildmaster before faire begins.  In order to plan, we must needs know who we have to work with.
• Every guildmember must participate in guild activities, including parades, feasts, gigs and patron interaction on ‘the green’.
• The guild does not accept responsibility for items left in our encampment.  Each visitor to our encampment will be expected to clean up after themselves and keep track of their own gear.
• Families are welcome, but parents are responsible for keeping track of their own children.  Children under the age of eighteen must have a parent or guardian sign the minor hold-harmless agreement for them and keep current all emergency contact information with the guildmaster.  As a general rule, the guildmaster will not accept liability or act as surrogate guardian for anyone.
• The faire has seen fit to require that actors wear wristbands identifying them to faire officials as participating members.  These include specific bands indicating someone is below the age of majority.  We are required by the faire to wear these at all times, and we will comply.  Our guild will make efforts to disguise them, as they tend to be an obvious color such as neon green.  A simple strip of cloth can cover the band and leave it accessible should a member of Faire management ask to see it.
• No underage drinking or illegal drug use will be tolerated at guild events.  There are laws that supercede our personal feelings on these matters and we will abide by them. 
• Guild-owned "Period" conveyances  (including all wagons, wheelbarrows, et al) are not currently built with sufficient safety apparatus to make them appropriate for the transportation of people.  To use them in this manner would be unsafe.  They are to be used to convey items and props only and not to provide rides.
  

 
Morning meetings allow for us to set the tone for the day, set up our encampment and make plans to cover anything that was we couldn’t foresee in the monthly meetings before fair.  Murphy’s law dictates that no plan will survive first contact with the event, and these meetings will allow us to maintain the fluidity required of us at an event that might see blistering heat or torrential rain showers at the drop of a hat.  It also allows us to give notices and recognize what worked or didn’t work on the previous day of faire.

I realize that some of that sounds pretty draconian.  Faire is really a freewheeling affair once you get there.  We aim to have as much fun ourselves as those we entertain, but it must be kept within limits, as our goal here is to make sure the patrons are having fun and to keep our members safe.

Consequences of rule violations will - of course - vary with the severity of the offense.  It can range from a firm and uncomfortable chat with the guildmaster to (in extreme cases) expulsion from the guild... an instance I pray we will never have to explore.