Maybe you're trying to join. Maybe you're a friend or a family member trying to figure out what your friend or relative keeps deserting you for the weekends for. Maybe you just think we're really keen and you want to play with us for the weekend...
Whatever the reason, we can help! Actually, you can too.
'Gatelisting' is the generic term that is used fairly universally at Renaissance Faires (and a few other events) for someone who works at the event but is not a regular employee/volunteer/whatever associated with the event. In the Seadog's case, you'll be officially listed as a Seadog for the event, though you may not be an 'official' full member.
With that in mind... a simple outline of the process is below, followed by more detailed descriptions.
I. Contact us
II. Prepare for the show
III. Pay the Gatelist Fee
IV. Work the show!
I. Contact us
In order to gatelist, you need to do a few things. First, you need to contact us
to let us know you're interested in working an event - the earlier, the better!
Now, some events we may be unable to accommodate gatelistees - some shows give
us attendance caps (and we may not even be able to accept all regular members),
and other shows may be unsuited for someone not very well versed in our songs,
shows and other assorted performance elements (we do occasional 'private'
shows). In addition, sometimes preference will be given to certain people who
wish to 'gatelist', a prime example being prospective auditionees.
As to the person you need to contact, that may vary from event to event. It's STRONGLY advised that you have some sort of 'sponsor' to work with for the event. Not only will that person be able to guide you to the correct contact people for the event, but they can also help you by assisting you with our songs, working on a costume for you if you require one, giving you character hints if you're so inclined, and other helpful things that will go a long way towards making your time with us special. In addition, a fair amount of planning goes on 'behind the scenes' as we prepare for a show, and your contact will be able to keep you informed of necessary changes and information.
II. Prepare for the show
This really isn't as bad as some people make it out to be. As a gatelisted
performer, it's expected that you won't know all our songs by heart, or that
your costume isn't entirely 'nautical', or other such niceties that our fulltime
members are expected to live up to. We do expect a few things that you can take
care of before the show, though.
Faire appropriate costuming.
Once again, it's understood that a full set of "sailor's slops"
isn't going to just materialize for you. We DO, however, require that you
have some sort of costume that both is faire-approvable and doesn't stick
out TOO much from the rest of the guild. A standard 'peasant' outfit (for
men, peasant shirt, pants, faire shoes/boots, hat, etc.; for women, two
skirts, chemise, hat, bodice, faire shoes, etc.) isn't too hard to come
by, and will work just fine for a weekend. A few guidelines to keep in mind
is that we ARE a 'peasant' level guild inasmuch as the 'social class
structure' is concerned, and we DO spray a fair amount of water and the like
during the day. Loose, comfortable clothes that can get dirty are best.
Some level of familiarity with us.
This is almost more for you than for us. Again, we aren't expecting that you
know every detail about every facet of our existence. However, it's
generally polite to at least know a little bit about us and what we're doing
at that particular show. Ask your Seadog friends, and they should be able to
fill you in. There's also an Official Rehearsal CD that your friendly
neighborhood Seadog should have, and that (combined with the lyrics
available on this site) will at least familiarize you with our songs. While you won't be expected to know every song before you
arrive, having some degree of familiarity with what we sing (hopefully to
the level of being able to join in on the chorus) is greatly appreciated.
Prepare YOURSELF.
This is a big thing, even more so if you've not done a weekend of 'faire'
before. Find out as much as you can about where the show is, whether we're
camping at the event, what the weather is expected to be... in general,
treat this like a regular 'camping trip'. Come prepared with your clean
civvies, snacks, water, etc. as we quite likely will not be able to provide
them for you, and some of our shows are significant distances from
'civilization' and stores. Santa Barbara, for instance, is located nearly an
hour's drive from the city itself.
III. Pay the Gatelist Fee
This is currently $15, payable to the show's 'Director' or any other
designated person. That $15 normally covers your full admission as a Seadog to
the show (though some events charge extra for participant camping). This
normally includes your 'slot' on our roster, guild lunches, guild snacks, guild
after-hours social events (naturally, some 'events' such as movies have their
own charges, but events such as the guild dinners would be covered unless
otherwise noted), and all the other good stuff that comes from being a Seadog.
IV. Work the Show!
For all intents and purposes, once you're at the event, you are a Seadog. As
such, you'll be expected to attend and participate in our 'mandatory' scheduled
events (warm ups, song set, pageant, notes, etc.), and generally conduct
yourself as if you were a full member of the guild. Please, keep in mind that to
the 'management' at these events you are a full fledged Seadog, and anything you
do will reflect upon us. Good things (street theater, guest interaction, etc.)
are always appreciated. Bad things (costume and major behavioral anachronisms,
excessive intoxication, any of a variety of other infractions against good taste
and faire standards) are not, and if necessary your status can be revoked by our
Director, Assistant Directors, or the Event Coordinator.
As well as performing, there is a significant amount of other 'setup' work that comes with each show and each day. This ranges from the actual set-up and tear down of our guildsite through helping with food preparation and clean up. As a gatelisted performer, your assistance is not mandatory - but again, it will likely be greatly appreciated (and is a keen way to butter up the rest of the guild for future gatelisting!)
Lest this all sound rather stuffy and officious, also keep in mind - we're there to have fun! We are performers with a job to do (keep the audience happy and entertained), but one of the best ways to accomplish that is to keep happy ourselves! If you're ever having any problems, or just don't feel like things are quite right, feel free to talk to the various guildmembers. We're a fairly social bunch, and someone will quite likely be able to help you start that gig, or teach you that song chorus, or any number of other helpful things.
Thanks! And if you come out for the weekend, we hope you have as much fun as we do every time we go out!