Put the commerical tie-ins down and back away from the script

[telerib]

The New Jersey Renaissance Kingdom started back when I was in high school. I think I started going at their second or third year, just before they moved to the site across from Merrill Lynch. I went each year I was in high school and all through college. It's a smaller production, by volunteers - not quite the polished commerical Faire that we have, say, here in Maryland (which is also fun). They also used Arthurian themes in an ongoing year-to-year story. Granted, the result was often like nothin' you ever saw in Malory, but that's what Arthur's for. There were some bobbles (the "First Knight" adaptation in particular - it wasn't even a good movie) but it had a lot of heart and I liked it.

This year, they're doing "The Pirates of Tortuga." I assume because pirates are cool and there's a Johnny Depp movie coming out.

Thank heaven they are not trying to fit this into the regular story. It would hurt my head too, too much.

Comments

[children-of-lir.livejournal.com]

Thinking of convincing ragnarr_drgnhrt to take me there this weekend. Don't know if Raven Spittle (http://www.zdh.com/RavenSpittle/main.html) still plays with that Faire as a group, but some individual crewmembers might be working there.

Rags indicated that the local SCAdians used to help out at NJ Kingdom quite a bit -- but that management changed, and some Gorgon started running it into the ground who alienated the SCAdians and, eventually, the owners of the site that allowed them to have permanent structures.

(Last time I went, I was kinda appalled to pay NYRF prices for something the size of a high school Faire...yeek!)

[telerib.livejournal.com]

AFAIK, the a good chunk of the Ravenspittle crowd is still involved.

My sister was a volunteer for a good number of years, so I got to hear aaaall about Teh Drama. :/

[children-of-lir.livejournal.com]

Do tell! (Sorry, it's a bit of a slow day at work. ;) )

That summary was pretty much all the background info Rags was able to provide. He was only ever a "playtron", not someone who worked behind the scenes, so was probably isolated from all but the worst of the stink.

[telerib.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I've been able to successfully block most of it from my mind. :) I didn't know a lot of the people involved, so I got this vague impression of a bunch of people pissed off at another bunch of people, with people I did know from the SCA sprinkled on both sides, along with people who were strictly Renfesties. Pretty much, Those Who Agreed with Management, and Those Who Didn't.

[children-of-lir.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...


Well, all I know is, it's bloody hard to keep a Ren Faire on the map when you aren't allowed to set up permanent structures. Whatever happened to cost that Faire the old site, it must have been one HELL of a clash of personalities.

(That, and NJ Kingdom's a dry site, no? :P I can't visualize a visit to The Oranges sober.)