| WHAT I DID THIS SUMMER AT PENNSIC | ||
| This was a great Pennsic. I fenced every day. I met lots of new fascinating people & got to know better many of the fascinating people I already knew. I ate lots of good food. I learned. And the weather was the best of any Pennsic I've been at. I went to Pennsic with two goals: to fence a lot, and to learn how to start a local Commedia dell'Arte troupe. The first night I was able to help a young Lady, Beatrice de'Winter, fix a tent malfunction. As we talked I told her about my dream to start a commedia troupe in Thescorre. She said, "I know exactly who you should meet." That night she introduced me to Cadell Blaidd, the Lord in charge of the performance tent. We talked while helping him close up for the night and then walked over to Camp Yama Kamanari where we hung out till late. (Or early. Depends on your perspective.) Cadell is a member of I Genessii, so he provided a lot of good advice. He also recommended I go to Solvieg's class on kyoh'gen, Japanese improvisational theater.  The next day, at Solvieg's class, one student, Jess, mentioned he is involved in Commedia dell'Arte. I approached him after the class."Oh, Cadell told me about you." It is neat how, if you are really interested in something in the SCA and you approach someone else in the SCA who is also really interested in the same thing and knows more about it than you, word somehow gets out and suddenly a bunch of SCAdians, who are all really interested and knowledgeable about that thing, gang up on you and just as suddenly you find yourself doing that thing you are really interested in instead of only asking questions about it. Jess said, "There are two ways to learn about Commedia dell'Arte. One is to attend performances, and there are two very good Commedia troupes, I Sebastiani and I Genessii, at Pennsic this year. But better is to perform yourself. Now there is a group of us who are members of troupes but whose whole troupes are not here this year and Sophie the Orange suggested we meet at her encampment and see if we can band together and put on a performance. Why don't you come to that meeting?" Which is how I found myself cast as Doctore Gratiano in two Commedia performances. (A third performance I missed as it conflicted with Rapier Woods Battle.) So in addition to fencing every day I was at rehearsal every day too. The performances were a rush of exhilaration. We played for our dinner at a feast at the Spartii camp -- interrupted by a brief but heavy shower. Then after sunset we rushed to Casa Barduci to perform for the hoity toity party. (Something of a blur, too. I had to take my glasses off for Doctore's mask, and at night I'm near blind without them.) I remember Katrina calling out, "Hey, Padraig!" as we sped past the Mongol camp. The Casa is impressive at night. The candle-lit canvas looks like marble. We waited in the green room to go on. "Look!" A glowing paper balloon drifted overhead from the lake. "A medieval UFO!" A strange gauze wrapped antlered figure (at least, that's what he looked like to my poor vision) accosted us briefly, then we were on. So much else also happened that one week at Pennsic -- dinner at Lady Honora's yurt, Fergus receiving his white scarf, meeting a young lady called Meow who shared her tatami mat with me at a performance in the amphitheatre, guard duty at the Royal encampment & serving at the Aethelmearc party, a long conversation with Baroness Clarice Roan over drinks at the Inner Vagabond, evenings hanging out with Isaac, the memorial for Ulrich. Serendipitously, a class was offered at this Pennsic on starting a local period actors troupe. Hopefully there are other Thescorrians interested in Commedia dell'Arte. If you are one, contact me (pgkeleher@hotmail.com or 309-1470) -- I've begun hosting bi-weekly meetings at my home to form the troupe. by Padraig au'Chaeleichair |
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Pennsic Stories: Mairghread | Phelan | Sorcha | Padraig
Pennsic Stories: Mairghread | Phelan | Sorcha | Padraig