My Published Writing - Feature

Lost in Time

Published July/August 1997 in Lehigh Valley Magazine

        In the midst of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, a weary traveler arrives at a fortress and finds a stone gate flanked by turrets. She is greeted only by silence. Overcome by fatigue, she finds an opening in the wooden wall surrounding the town, and enters.

A complete, yet vacant Elizabethan shire stands before her. The only sounds are shutters banging as they are blown by the wind and the gentle tinkling of distant wind chimes.

There are signs of the activity of another day, a muddy piece of golden lace and a jeweled button glistening in the sunlight, perhaps from royal finery, lie on the road.

Like Brigadoon, this shire sleeps through the seasons, yet springs to life not every hundred years, but each August while devoted members of the Friends of the Faire Society, like Pat Potts, anxiously await its return.

"It just takes forever for the first weekend of August to get here," says Potts. "And then before you know it, the Faire's over and you have to wait a whole year before it comes around again."

The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire is not your typical tourist amusement park. It is designed for visitors to come at 10 am and leave at 6 pm, during which they experience a trip back in time to the English Renaissance under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Left behind are many of the trappings of late 20th century technology, but not all. The Royal Flush Toilets and Nachos of Noddingham are recognition of the fact that most of us aren't prepared for ultimate time travel.

"You have your high tech, but this is a high touch venue," explains Chuck Romino, founder and producer of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.

"We really create our environments where our patrons can feel very safe. Where it is okay to play with us," he says. "Our goal is to touch everyone who comes through."

Romino says that the concept for the Faire began after he purchased the Mt. Hope Winery in 1980. He held a number of special events in the attempt to encourage tourists to visit the estate.

"One of the events was a jousting tournament, which is the official state sport of Maryland, " says Romino. "We had a big crowd for that, so next year I invited them back and we did a little Robin Hood thing, and roasted a pig, and we called it a Renaissance Festival."

Romino says that the Faire has become such a phenomenon that the vineyards had to eventually be removed to make room for additional parking. Mt. Hope now purchases grapes from Erie, PA to make its wine which is sold at the wine shop adjacent to the Faire grounds.

This year the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire celebrates its 17th season, and has developed into an event where, to paraphrase the words of the Bard, "all the shire's a stage."

Greg Ramsey, Fight and Staff Director, says that the Faire is dedicated to performance and interaction so that the audience is actually enmeshed in the period.

"One of the things I'm working on this summer is many, many street encounters," says Ramsey. "But I want to make them non-violent, more like when you watch "The Three Musketeers." A lot of times you don't get the feeling that (the fighting) was horrible. No, you get the feeling of AH, that was swashbuckly, and fun. It was ching, ching, ching, HA, HA, HA!"

Ramsey enjoys directing fights and creating the illusion of violence. The control is in the hands of the victim, a crucial difference between staged violence and real violence. He choreographs each movement precisely to protect the actors. The concentration, relaxation, and focus that go into staging fight scenes make it a strenuous activity.

"You direct the violence and you make it very safe, so everybody knows where the movements are going," says Ramsey, an important detail since real swords are used.

Ramsey is also involved in the writing, directing, and acting aspects of the Faire. Last year he performed as King Philip II of Spain, the antagonist of the year to Queen Elizabeth I, played by his wife, Kate Ramsey, a partner in their acting company, Ramsey Productions.

Each year the Faire evolves around a major plot or scenario. Last year Philip sought to unite the powers of England and Spain under his rule, first by wooing Elizabeth, then by fighting her. This year, the Irish are coming to the shire to interrupt the Queen's festival day and create havoc. Ramsey will play the part of Red Hugh O'Donnell, a captured Irish rebel. A political battle develops between Queen Elizabeth and a pirate queen, Grace O'Malley, who has come to rescue O'Donnell.

The scenario energizes and centers the activities of each Faire day. Major acts are played out at Queen's Court, The Human Chess Match, and the Joust Unto the Death.

"It's very important to go to Queen's Court at the beginning of the day," says Pat Potts. "They introduce the main characters and the Queen's court. They give an explanation of what is happening during the day."

Visitors, or patrons, as they are called by the Faire staff, decide how involved they want to be in the scenario. Ramsey points out that the plot line is important, but only as important as the patrons want it to be. The actors are coached on improvisational skills and are able to recognize whether a guest is there to shop, watch, or jump wholeheartedly into the 16th century.

Potts, who has been attending the Faire since 1988, loves the interaction. She says she attends every weekend during the run of the Faire because it is different each week depending on the makeup of the crowd. Last year she even purchased her own costume.

"Sometimes there will be actors, who just pull you out of the crowd, and teach you a dance of the period," says Potts. "Other times you'll witness a sword fight in the street. Sometimes those are even better than the regular shows."

Ramsey says the emphasis on interaction is what makes this Faire different from others that concentrate more on selling crafts. While crafts such as pottery throwing, glassblowing, and brass rubbing are demonstrated and sold along Guildsman's Way, the emphasis remains on creating an enjoyable and believable renaissance town.

The actors strive to produce an uplifting presentation of the Renaissance eliminating all of the religious persecution and plagues.

Visitors must enjoy time travel into the Renaissance as last year the Faire hosted an estimated 10,000 each weekend.

"Basically our motto is, 'experience the fantasy," says Michelle Cunningham, Public Relations Director. "People are so busy with work, and commuting to different places, and running around, that you need to take time out and just escape. You could lose yourself here."

This fantasy takes many hours of hard work to create. Actors, are selected in February, this year from auditions in Baltimore, Lancaster, Miami, and New York. During the month of July, the professional acting staff will put in ten to twelve hour days studying improv skills, history, English dialect, and even verb conjugations. Show rehearsals are scheduled for the afternoon each day.

Besides the major scenario, street improv and jousts, the Faire also stages shortened versions of Shakespearean plays in it's three story recreation of the Globe Theater.

Numerous adventures await a patron each weekend including wine tasting, children's activities, a petting zoo, renaissance games, and wandering gypsies and minstrels.

The music is what really makes the Faire experience for Pat Potts who enjoys the sounds of renaissance hammered dulcimers and her favorite group Double Indemnity who play traditional Irish and Scottish music.

"I'm not really big on the joust," says Potts. "Mainly because the joust is right before the finale and songs. I won't miss that. There is lots of singing and games. If you play so many games, you get knighted."

The only problem with the Faire, as Potts points out, is that it only occurs eleven weeks out of the year. The remainder of the year, the town sits vacant, until the return of the Queen for her festival day.

The shutter bangs on the upstairs of the residence of Sir Fudge A Lot, a confectionery and awakens the traveller from her musings. In the distance, a cackling emanates from the heart of the shire, and a bird flies from his perch. But was the cackling really that of a bird, or the faint echo of laughter at a court jester's merrymaking? This is, after all, the Queen's Shire, and anything can happen. It's all part of the fantasy.

Copyright 1997 Susan M. Lang

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