Quote from a random Patron - "What the Hell was that??"
That’s part of the magic.
People come into a faire for 3 things. Shopping, beer, and entertainment. The funny thing is, most people are really looking to be entertained while shopping and drinking beer. Odd, huh?
Step #1: know who you are.
There’s a story that went around for a while about a guy that was auditioning
for a historical figure. During the audition he was asked about his sister.
His answer was, "I don’t know if I had a sister." Wrong answer!!! The
correct answer was to go with it. Make up a something! Say that your sister
is doing fine in that dockside house. She’s so good she can charge double
now! And be proud! You will probably not be playing a historical figure,
but at least know what happened to your parents, # of siblings, your job
and what that job entails. People will ask. Answer them. If you know your
right, then people will believe it. Your character is also dynamic. I
recently added 5 wives to my character. One is a Clydesdale. Cool, huh?
It keeps things fresh for you and your fellow shipmates. All right! You’re
a person now! Yippee!!! Now what?
Step #2: Now what?
When you hear the sweet sounds of opening parade you need to check your
ego at the door. Be open to things you wouldn’t do at the office or in
polite company. This seems to be a problem for some people. Let go. Remember,
the people that paid money to go to the faire will never see you as anything
but what you did to make them laugh. Do something really neat and they’ll
take your picture! (Which brings me to another point, Do NOT fear the
camera. If you start running and screaming, "You’re stealing my soul!"
I swear I will personally bludgeon you with a trout.) And when you have
that poor unsuspecting patron on your knee, where they can’t see you, do
something funny. Pick your nose, stick out your tongue, or make a funny
face. Make it memorable! Other sections will deal with how to do a gig,
but I want to impress on you to not be afraid of a gig. I’ve seen everything
from people jumping rope with pig entrails to actually throwing up in
a hat and eating it again. That stuff is great! And you would never see
anyone in your office do that, but people pay money just to see that sort
of thing. Even if all you’re doing is accusing babies in their strollers
of being lazy. This is funny. People like it. The last word on this is,
be open to ANYTHING!
Step #3: Now you know whom
your are and what to do.
What does it mean to be a Seadog? This is the hardest part that I have
to write. What is being a Seadog? Being a Seadog means that you belong
to a family of people that are happy to see you and support you. It means
having friends that mean something. Whether we’re out at Denny’s getting
a late night meal or showing the Queen a good time. It’s helping one another
and working together. Being a Seadog is a group effort. No one is a one-man
show. It’s a big family of great people entertaining in their own special
way (It’s a dysfunctional family but, what the Hell.). And it’s home.
The most fun I have is with the Seadogs, and I don’t think that will ever
change. So that’s my 2 cents on this whole thing. Don’t let anything get
in the way of you entertaining a patron. Because when it’s you, and the
customer interacting, that’s magic and that’s why were here.