   |  Me as Mother Superior, 3/29/03 |
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Pictures my mom took, 3/29/03: After the 2nd chess match After the 2nd chess match 2
Pictures my friend, Geo, took 4/13/03:
Pictures from another website:
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On the night before auditions, some friends convinced me to try out for the Renaissance festival since they were going to go, too. It turns out that I showed up and they didn't, but after about 7 long hours of waiting for my turn (I was in the last group picked to audition), I finally got my turn to audition. Since I didn't have a character in mind, they had me be a relic seller (which they had to explain to me what it was) and then stopped me and had me be Mother Superior (again, they had to explain to me what that was). It was a freezing cold January morning on a Saturday and, not being prepared for the cold, I shivered my way through a shaky improv as a nun (I know *nothing* about nuns or the Catholic faith).
I felt horrible about the audition, but was glad the 7+ long hours were over so I could run over and audition for chess match. My long-time friend, Ed, had been in it for years and convinced me to try for it even though I had no previous fighting experience. I ran over to the chess match audition area, filled out my form and patiently waited while the last group finished auditioning. The remaining 4 of us left were taught, by a guy names Chris, the basic body stances and foot movements for advancing and retreating, then given wooden swords and taught 8 points of attack and defense. We ran through what we'd just learned in front of the judges and were sent home. It had been a very long day in the cold, but I was eager to find out if I'd made. It was the next day, Sunday, when I was called at home and was told by Stephanie, that I'd been chosen for cast! I was SO happy! I wouldn't find out my character until the first rehearsal the next weekend, which was, Mother Superior. I knew right then, that this would be quite a challenge. Later that same day, I found out that I'd made it onto the fight cast (for the chess match)! I had a Rocky friend's mom, a seamstress, make my nun habit for me and the other nun. The costumer for the show decided on navy blue for the color rather than black to avoid looking like a typical Catholic nun. I was very happy with the outfit, but had some trouble with the character. I have never believed that anyone should impose their religion on anyone, so I could not, in good conscience, put any real religion into my character, so this presented quite a challenge. I decided that I may have to look like a nun, but I didn't have to act like one. I bought myself a lovely black flogger, or whip, to carry around (which they approved) for self-flagellation purposes. I also decided to still be a good and innocent character, but with no shame in admitting sin just before beating it out of myself. It turns out that there are a lot of dirty-minded men who attend festival who like saying things to nuns like, "Beat me, sister, beat me!" and "There's just something about a wet nun." I also had a few come up to me and blame me for things that the nuns at their Catholic school had done to them, years before. At first, I sort of apologized, but after a while, I started telling them that they probably deserved it. The most fun I had all throughout festival, was, by far, the human combat chess match. I was not chosen for a feature fight, but I got to be in the melee where everyone on the chessboard gets up and fights each other. I was the Queen's bishop on the white side, the good side of townsfolk and we were playing against the black side, the pirates. I got to fight a pirate named Alan, who is this big biker guy in real life. It only lasted maybe 20 seconds, but it was something I looked forward to all day! He'd head right for me and swing at me with a left arm saying "You be mine, wench!" and I duck and punch him in the gut with a hard left of my own! Then I pop back up behind him and yank him back upright so another guy, Rob, can punch him a few times. On the 3rd punch, Alan turns quickly to his left, which swings me into the punch's path and I get knocked back several feet and fall to the ground. Alan then gets a strong kick from Rob that knocks him backwards when I trip him and he falls. I quickly leap on him, make the cross sign on my chest, then proceed to repeatedly pound his head into the ground! Just a few moments later, another pirate, Dave?, who'd just finished another battle, grabs me by the shoulder, makes a cross sign on his chest and gives me the uppercut from hell which knocks me out cold. That's the end of my part in melee. Damn, it's exciting to me! On the 4th weekend of festival, a girl who was unreliable to begin with, didn't show up, meaning that her place on the chess board had to be filled. The fight director, Brent, decided to fill the void by having someone be shot. He asked me if I wanted to be shot and I screamed in happiness, "Really?? Really? You mean it?!? Seriously??" People seemed confused by why someone would be so happy about being shot, but I was THRILLED beyond imagination! He moved my piece to King's pawn and, in one of the first moves of the game, I got to insult an especially mean-looking pirate, Levi, a few times before asking if there were any sins he had NOT committed. He responds while facing his own black side audience with a few sins he HAD committed such as stealing form the poor box and kicking puppies, then pauses and says, "There is one thing I haven't done... the one thing I have *not* done... is shot a nun," and BANG, I get shot. I apparently fall really well making several wonder if I'd actually been hit with anything from the gun. The first weekend, I had trouble getting the smile off my face after being shot, because I was so damn happy. Even after the unreliable girl returned, Brent worked me into being shot each day through the end of festival! I was shot once a day on Saturdays and Sunday and twice each day on the final 2 Fridays, for a total of 8 glorious times! Then, at the end of the match, I still got to get up and fight in the melee! How lucky am I?!? I didn't and wouldn't miss a single rehearsal for the world! I can only imagine what I get to do next year!
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