From truck driver to actor. One man's tale

Over the past 7 years I have become a big fan of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire (PARF) and the other shows that go on there at ‘The Shire” of Mount Hope. So how did this burly truck driver go from fan to actor?

Well I’ll tell you a story that happened to me…

It wasn't something I always wanted to do but it’s no coincidence when you look back on it, much the same way I got into trucking. I went to college for communications/journalism and at the time really wanted to be in TV news. I was heavily involved in the college radio station and even did some part time work at commercial stations, so I was no stranger to public speaking. But I never considered myself a performer.

I graduated college and promptly got a job as a TV reporter… truck driver. I thought at the time it would be just temporary but I liked it and stuck with it. For 22 years. But something happened in the latter of those years. I became a curmudgeon, not really liking other truck drivers. I always tell people I am a truck driver, not a trucker. The latter implies a certain connotation, a personality into which I never wanted to fit. The highest accidental praise I get is when someone says “Oh, you don’t look like a truck driver.”

I had an introduction to the ren faire in 1996 when my brother Jim was in the cast. I went once or twice that year and loved it but never returned until 2008 when my kids were teenagers and could start paying their own way. Fortunately they loved it and we kept coming back; twice the next year, then three times and more. In 2013 I attended 5 times and wanted to go even more. After going on the closing day I felt like I had been a part of something special. The finale was full of so much laughter and sorrow at the same time. It’s not unlike sending a child off into the world, only this was times 100.

I was so moved by the season I wrote a mushy fan letter to Jess who played the queen:

I envy you. I truly do. Well, all of you who work at the faire because not only do you get to do what you love AND get paid for it, which by itself is the mark of a dream job, but you also get to form this wonderful bond with each other as coworkers which is something most people rarely get to achieve. I tasted it once as a teenager on a 2 week church bicycle tour with complete strangers. They were strangers for about an hour. We were friends for a long time afterwards (long before the internet).    I saw it again in college but never quite got back to it. I watched some of my friends pledge fraternities which just didn’t appeal to me and always seemed forced into friendship. But then there were the theater geeks. I knew a few and they had *it*. The bond, the friendships forged under fire. I didn’t think I had what it takes to be an actor, but I saw the juice they get from performing and just the contact high was a thrill.

I wrote a review on the faire Facebook page that reads 

“This is a magical place. I am a better human being when I am in the shire! I never want to leave.”

I was already planning on getting a season pass for the next year but I guess those words I wrote rang in my head and the more I thought about it the more I wanted to maybe try out as a Blackfryar. I was having so much fun as a patron; I figured it must be even more fun on the other side being the ones doing the entertaining. I put the question out to a group frequented by former actors and asked them to give me a reason not to do it. No one did.

So in December the announcement was made that auditions would be held in late January. My brother called and got us both spots. I would spend the next 6 weeks finding a good monologue piece and rehearsing it. I also had to sing 30 seconds of a song. I chose Piano Man because that’s my favorite song that is in my range.

Jim was a tremendous help in preparing. He told me they aren't looking for perfection but enthusiasm. Just go in with positive energy and be confident.

Finally the day came and we went to a hotel in Lancaster. I saw some familiar faces coming and going as we waited our turns. When I finally was called in, there were 4 people sitting across at the table. Jim warned me not to go too close but stay across the room to be able to show projection. I forget who the 4th was but I recognized Justus White who would be the Director, Doug Wallace, and Sheila Barton the Blackfryar Director. Justus was extremely friendly and supportive and tried to alleviate any nervousness. I was excited but not overly nervous. I think I had to take one deep breath to slow the heart rate down a bit.

I did my monolog first and was very proud of myself. I didn’t forget any lines and in the middle I was noticing the looks on their faces.  They were engaged and looked like they wanted to see more (as did I when I found this piece online).

(My monologue done at work after first rehearsal)

I did the song next and pulled out a harmonica to play that bit in the chorus. They seemed to like that too, showing initiative, even if it would never be used in the faire.

After the small talk Justus said “consider this your call back.” I wasn't quite sure what that meant but it sounded good and Jim got the same answer. We didn't have to stick around.

We were told we would hear something in 2 weeks which turned out to be closer to 4. When the call finally came I didn’t know who it was and let it go to voicemail. The caller ID said North Carolina. When the voicemail said I got it, I immediately called back and said “yes!” I want it. He said first rehearsal was Saturday April 12 and every Saturday, and Wednesday evening until the end of July.  Although I still did not have the new job and was unsure at this point what my schedule would be like in April, I would cross that bridge when I get to it.

New job

I spent the next three months getting hired at a new job. I had been at the old job for 6 years and was not looking to change initially but things were changing (or not changing when they should have been) and the time seemed right. This new one would get me home every day and eventually pay more. The down side was I had to buy another set of wheels and commute 32 miles every day. But I was able to pay cash for a hybrid at auction so it's worked out very well. 48 MPG!

I started the new job march 3, much longer than I thought it would take. I was bottom often totem pole with no set schedule and had no idea how I was going make this work. Then after only 3 weeks on the job some bid runs opened up. I was awarded a regular run with Wednesdays and Saturdays off. Perfect for rehearsals! But still doesn't allow me to do the whole weekend Faire. It's a tough schedule to work around-starting late afternoon (4 or 5) and working until as late as 4 or 5 am. That does not leave much room for sleep Saturday morning. But I'm not about to give up on this now when everything has fallen into pace thus far. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome!

Finally April 12 arrives and I get to do the first of many firsts-come in the back gate and see the shire streets completely empty. It was completely surreal and exciting. Well, empty save for 52 newly appointed Blackfryar who are all at the Globe stage. More than half are returning veterans and the rest of us are first timers. This is the largest cast they have had in quite some time. Sheila would later tell us she wants it even bigger!

All the veterans are sitting together with us first timers splattered throughout. Then promptly at 10:00 the Director Justus White says “Hey Everybody!” and the veterans all call back in unison “Hey WHAT?!”

And just like that, I’m part of an inside thing. I think to myself this is going to be great. And we’re off.

We start right off with paperwork and it's a pile. There's one piece I'm dreading- the conflict sheet. As excited as I was, I was still hesitant about being there. Now is the time to drop the bomb that I can only work Saturday. I fill out the sheet with half X's and bring it up to Sheila. She could very well say they need more commitment than that and send me home. But instead she was gracious and understanding ad said they would work with what I could offer. A huge weight was lifted and I started to feel at home. My new home for 7 months.

After paperwork, we received our character names and jobs. I would become Frederick Flagstone, street sweeper of the Shire. And I was given a faire wife and daughter. My daughter was also a new Blackfryar but my wife was a veteran and I would soon learn a superb talent. She immediately made me feel at home and dove right in making us a family.

Then we got together for the first time and started playing. Like children. We played blob tag and Hide-and-seek. It sounds silly but the point of it was to show that this is a magical place where we can have fun and play as children in the streets. We also did a trust building exercise—not falling down backwards, thank god. But it was pairing up and leading each other around blindfolded without speaking. It was freaky at first, especially with sun causing the shadows from the trees to mess with depth perception, but once I got the hang of it I trusted that my partner was not going to lead me into anything and just walked. That was the point; trust in each other and always have each other’s backs.

I was so excited after that first day, I saved that emotion on a short video

We would spend the next 13 or so weeks on 5 major activities: learning improvisational skills, defining and refining our characters, language and dialect, finale music, and small street shows.

Learning improv

I was excited to learn inprov and this is what I had assumed much of our job would entail. It begins with the basics. Accept everything, do not negate. Always say “Yes, and.” And do not ask questions. Make statements. Sort of the opposite of what lawyers do in court. They can make any statement a question just by saying “isn’t that true?” We instead make any question a statement, giving the other person room to go where they wish. Instead of asking “where did you get that pie?” You say “I see you have a pie.”

Just like in school, every drill builds to another skill and another until by the end you are doing improve games like on “Whose Line Is It Anyway”. And you see just how hard it is. But there are some who are really good at it and were asked to be in the stage shows alongside the professionals. That was impressive. The audience probably never knew the difference unless they checked the playbill (Henrician Herald).      

Character work

This took some time for most of us. We were given an outline of what our characters should be but the rest was up to us, to come up with a backstory, how they stand, how they walk. Everything about them we created out of whole cloth. We even came up with catch phrases. “Frederick Flagstone, streetsweeper and I’m not afraid to do the dirty work.”    

         

Dialect

Another important part of being a street actor is speaking correctly. We learned how to speak as peasants or as nobles. We learned how to flourish a sentence to make it ridiculously verbose, but most important we learned the basics of just using Thee and Thy instead of you and your. This, we were told, is what sets us apart from the playtrons (the patrons who come in costume and may have their own characters). This, and the fact that we never touch anything non-period. We eat out of wooden bowls, use wooden utensils, wooden or pewter mugs, depending on our class. And we never are seen using paper napkins or holding a camera.

Street shows

A major part of what made this year’s Blackfryar cast so amazing is that every one of us was involved in a special street show, whether it was a musical group, a trunk show or the show I was involved with “Mount Hope Hath Talent.” None of these shows were on the Daily Writ, save for the ones at the Rose Stage, but they were scheduled and we had our own separate schedule of street times and locations. Justus made sure the streets were well covered at all places at all times, not just by us Blackfryars but also the bachs. It was pointed out after opening several times that people who knew there was a difference couldn’t tell who was which when meeting characters on the streets.  

Music

We also worked on music. This was probably the easiest and most fun part of rehearsals. We had 5 songs we needed to learn for finale and I had them memorized by day one. Turns out that was a bit early. Maren our music director had a plan for how finale would come together and it was constantly changing. But that’s a good thing.

Bachs arrival

Finally on July 1 the professional cast arrives—the Bacchanalians (or bachs for short). The very next day is a Wednesday rehearsal and the two groups meet. One by one we Blackfryars introduce ourselves and our characters and catch phrases that we’ve been working on for the past 10 weeks. Then we get to show them our special shows—we sing and tell stories and perform silly talents and I believe they were impressed. (But I knew it would be a matter of days until the tables were turned). Then it was the Bachs’ turn to introduce their selves to us. There were some cheers from us when a few returning heroes stepped up. But many were first timers here. Still, they already had characters and even started trying on catch phrases on the spot.

From this point forward the tone of rehearsals changed. It was now all about integration of the casts and becoming one; although the first Saturday was a bit like starting over again. We did some of the same things again that we did the first day way back in April like learning names and characters, we played blob tag, we got to know and trust each other. Then we got down to business learning Joust and Chess and Finale. The bachs rehearse all day all week so by the time we meet again on a Saturday they are miles ahead. There’s no doubt these are professional actors.

Summer youth day

The next 4 weeks fly by and the Thursday before the opening weekend we had a dress rehearsal with kids as our audience. It was a shorter schedule with none of the independent acts (save Isaac Fawlkes) and none of the *blue shows (Sirens, Rogues, Blackguards, drench).

Just like at my audition, I was not nervous at all about meeting the public, but very excited. We finally get to take all the skills we have leaned over the past 15 weeks and put them to use.

It was great practice for the real opening 3 days later. The kids were a blast to play with and since they traveled in groups they were instant audiences on the go. But the down side was that they were sometimes pulled away by an adult just when things were getting interesting and a bit ends sooner than you expected.

Then 3 days later the real thing! Actual opening day.

This was different than the youth day/dress rehearsal. It was a long, full day. But by finale I fully realized how amazing it was to be a part of bringing joy to other people. Up to this point our Artistic Director was stressing how this year was a change from the recent years. We want more involvement with the audience, on the streets and at finale. The finale is to transform from what was perceived as a show to more of a party atmosphere.

We were encouraged to spill out into the audience and they could come up and dance with us. That first night at finale there was a young girl who came up and sang with us and sat with us between songs. The look of admiration of her face was priceless.

The second week is always called time travelers weekend and one of my favorites. I used time off from work to be able to perform both days (for that and both Pyrate themed weekends and the final day). By now and the following week I start to notice some returning patrons who come every week (besides the obvious ones I've seen before as a patron). There was big Joe who would sit at the fountain and watch the street bits. And there was Tyler, a young lad who got to know all the characters and was so loved that he was acknowledged on stage for his birthday at finale second to last week.

As a patron I noticed that the backstage area of the globe was a great place to see actors come and go doing schtick. This where we gather to line up for final procession to joust. And it was at that spot that I had a realization the first night just how awesome this job is. Now I am the one doing stuff at the fountain being watched by them and it’s thrilling.

We were warned during rehearsals as it got closer to opening day that there would be stalkers and how to deal with them. Mine came in the form of an 11 year old girl who is the daughter of a shop owner.  Not really a stalker but an admirer who for some reason took a liking to me. She wouldn’t follow me around but if our paths crossed during the day she would always come up and give me a big hug. It was very sweet.

By the third week I had started hitting a stride and feeling a rhythm to the whole thing. This is really where the themed weekends come into play by keeping things fresh and having something new to play off of.

One of my favorite things was being a part of Master Weston (the tax collector)'s Tax Brogade bit as we travelled through the shire collecting taxes. I was one of his minions and we would stop people asking if they had paid their taxes. Of course everything had a tax. Now, keep in mind that as a patron the year before, I was involved in a street bit at O’Malley’s where 8 or so Bachs surrounded me and just a few other patrons and they had a pose off, climbing on tables and being silly. It was grand and I felt kind of special. So now imagine how privileged I felt to be a part of one of those bits ending at the same tables and surprising a group of unsuspecting patrons.

But I was still learning, even though we had opened. I was given a director’s not about being a bit-crasher. That’s where you interrupt a bit in progress, uninvited. It’s bad form and I didn’t realize I was doing it. I was still in patron mode at times and it was intimidating to turn a corner and see something entertaining going on and want to be a part of it. I’d think to myself “oh man I want to be that good” and then realize I have been given the tools I need. We all went through the same training, I told myself, now go out there and DO IT!

I would come to learn that the best bits seem to happen with two people and there were many who traveled in pairs, so I would make a habit of walking with my brother or when he was away, I would find someone else to play with. This was also when I started to notice some people favoring certain friends over others. And that’s fine. Not everyone gets along perfectly with everyone else on cast. But as long as it’s entertaining to the public, that’s all that matters. “Choose Joy” is our mantra. Leave your problems at the gate.

One of the downsides of being a Blackfryar is we are not allowed to sit and watch any shows. Even though we are part of the cast, I had little knowledge of what went on in the story line shows like King’s Court, Human chess, and Final joust. That is what makes finale in song so enjoyable. It is the only time the entire cast comes together as one. We sing big group songs and we get to watch small groups sing like Rogues and Sirens. And this is the only time we can see some independent acts perform like Don Juan & Miguel, Sir Isaac Fawlkes, London Broil, and Tartanic. But the real fun is in the dialog that changes week to week. Just as I am not privy to all the other plot shows, I have no idea how the finale is going to change every week. For sure, Reginald will do something silly and declare “I’m a ______,” And get a big laugh. But other lines change as well. And I had no idea what was written and rehearsed during the week and what was improvised. But I got a clue when one week, two characters went off on a bit that hinted of one having a drug problem and it was frowned upon afterwards.

The days are long, and yet they seem to go by faster every week. (And not just due to the earlier sunsets). The season is long, and yet if flew by. And before I knew it we were at the closing day.  I think it’s safe to say closing day is when everyone is at 100%. Not just at their best, but being your best on closing day is better than the best possible on opening day. The bar keeps rising but so does the floor.

Traditionally on the last day, there is a song that’s sung no other time, usually “Beggars To God.” Well the group that sings that was not here this year, but our music director wrote a fantastic song that is a love song to the shire of Mt Hope. She sang it several times the last few weeks and wasn’t sure if she’d be available to sing at final finale, but she did and it was very moving. I couldn’t make it through the 3^rd chorus without tears streaming down my face. I have no idea how she sang it all the way through.

And then it was one final “Past Times With Good Company”, one final surrounding the shire holding hands, one final “To The Gates!” and one final time to bid everyone a “Faire Thee Well” as they all left, many smiling, many with tears and a few lingering to give long, deserving hugs. And finally one more time the Lady Mayor released us all and we changed out of our costumes and resumed our normal lives. Forever changed.

It was an amazing 7 month journey that I will never forget. For many of this cast they have done it before and will do it again; it’s just another year. For some of the first timers, they will return as regulars. But for some of us this is a one-time event. I don’t see myself having the time to do it again soon. But I certainly wish I could.