Ship Shape and Shaping Up

Went to Janesville this weekend.

Firstly, it was AWESOME! I loved being back as AnneDrew, the pants I made worked out very well, and I spent two days with people who make me feel normal.

However, I seemed to have either pushed the envelope a few times, or I'm just not in as great shape as I thought I was.

It's possible that both are true. I've been battling a lot of stress lately and haven't been able to eat properly for the past week or so. I was only able to eat one meal without trouble this weekend. So I snacked a lot and drank a lot of water. That is how I usually eat at Faire, so I wasn't sure why I was having issues.
Possibly the issue is that I haven't had the rehearsal month of walking around and getting used to the heat and acclimating myself. Instead I threw myself into 70+ degrees of heat and added humidity. However, I made it through each day without coming close to going down. A few rough spots, yes, but nothing that I would label as serious.

So now I have to evaluate my level of physical fitness. To most people, I look really fit. For the most part I am very fit. I dance, I walk and jog a little, I stretch, and do my best to eat healthy. Now I'm considering endurance training of some sort. Swimming would be a great option for summer, and better for my joints than running on a treadmill.

Now for the Bright Side of things.

I really like where AnneDrew seemed to be going this weekend. I noted some things that I need to improve on and learn, but overall I was pleased with the direction that Anne's character took. I think that the word "spunky" and "underdog" was mentioned more that a few times. By the end of the season last year AnneDrew was only starting to get her confidence, she was still very wary of being discovered. This whole weekend AnneDrew wasn't concerned at all, in fact, she was confident and assured about her place. Sure she'd joke about becoming Captain, but she's content to be Apprentice/Ship's Boy for the moment. I think she'd make a good life for herself in time.

A while back I said I was going to figure out what exactly I wanted to do with this blog. I've made a Facebook page for AnneDrew to do some fun stuff, I'm planning on working on my ship vocabulary through some posts there. I'm working on some stories (some of which were told for the first time at Janesville) that will be posted here and this blog will keep on as a record of my Ren Faire Adventures. I'll try to put some historical articles and essays up here as well, and updates will always be linked through my Facebook Anne-Drew Page. My other performance opportunities. For those and the rest of my adventures head on over to my other blog- Astonishing.

So- if you want to get updates from this blog- go and "like" my Anne-Drew page! It would mean a lot for you to support me as I continue my fledgeling career.

---Kait (Anne-Drew)

Stronghold, Friday.

Wow, it's been quite a while since I posted on this blog. I'm back with a tale of how I became a Maid of Honor for one weekend at the Stronghold Olde English Faire.

Friday evening I got to Stronghold around 8pm-ish (emphasis on the ish part because I can’t really recall). I couldn't really see what the scenery surrounding the castle looked like (other than lots of trees, which made me really happy because I love woods and forests and such).

I knew Stronghold was a castle, but I didn’t expect to be so enthralled by the castle itself. I must have had bug eyes when I first entered. After dropping off my bags in the great hall and saying hello to a few people I must have spent half an hour running around exploring with some of the other kids. There’s just something about castles that makes me really happy inside. I love old houses, and this place was MASSIVE! It had a tower, a fairy tale room with the story of Rumplestiltskin painted on the wall, an amazing Great Hall, just so many things that I loved. I was told that I had little sparkles of fairy dust following me around. I probably did I was so excited. It didn’t take me too long to figure out my way around, but the floor plan was pretty straight forward. There was a secret passageway from the library to a chapel, it was really easy to find (maybe I just think too much about how to hide secret passages).

Apart from seeing the castle, I was just so happy to see all of my Ren Friends again. Everything about these people puts me at ease and makes me feel at home. I was a little nervous just because I had no idea how to be  “nobility” but I knew that there would be plenty of people to teach me. Thank goodness, because otherwise I would have felt very ill at ease. As it was, most of my decorum was tossed out the window when I learned of the expectation of the Maids of Honor was to get into as much trouble as possible without being over the top.

Only a few days before Stronghold I found out that I’d be portraying Lady Elizabeth Cecil, Lord Burghley’s daughter. I wasn’t able to find to much information about her in the little time I had, but I was able to glean more information from the people at Stronghold. One little change we made was making me a Maid of Honor for the weekend, even though Elizabeth Cecil was never a MOH.

Ever since I’ve been going to the Ren Faire, I’ve loved watching the nobles. Part of it is the history, but I also look for new the dresses each year. I felt bad for staring but those dresses are so beautiful! AND I GOT TO WEAR ONE!!! One of my childhood dreams was fulfilled. I got to wear a court dress.

It was beautiful. Green and orange and rust/brown with trimming and beading and amazingness. Getting dressed itself was an adventure and the whole time I was praying that the dress would fit me. It actually fit very well for not being made to my exact measurements, but I had no idea what I looked like until I stepped out and got a look at myself in the hallway mirror.

I didn’t know what to do for a few minutes. I couldn’t look at myself, I felt so pretty. The other girl who was going to be a maid of honor with me was equally excited/impressed/taken aback by her own dress. We had a little “procession” into the great hall to show everyone and the reaction just completely befuddled me. I said “I’ve never felt so pretty in my life, and my prom dress was beautiful.”

Then I learned a little bit of a court dance, and I learned how to walk. Or rather, I was told how to walk and just picked up how to hover right off the bat. I also learned that when a lady is sitting on the ground she waits for a gentleman to help her up before she stands. I think Anne might need to pick up that habit simply because it would be funny.

Most of Friday night I just spent talking to people and having some fun being back around everyone. Even though I didn’t really know most of the people because I am not apart of St. George, everyone was nice and down-to-earth.

Falling asleep Friday night was sort of difficult because of the smoke in the Great hall. Apparently the chimney isn’t that great, so there was a fair amount of smokiness. It usually only takes me a couple of minutes to drop off to sleep. Friday night it almost took me an hour and a half, and I woke up every few hours. However, Saturday was going to prove to be quite the adventure. I’ll write about that tomorrow.

Oh Captains, My Captains

This weekend Anne will finally have her father.
Not that she hasn't had the BEST group of dads a girl could ask for during the season, but let me explain.
I've had the time of my life taunting and "blackmailing" the Captains into thinking that Anne is their child. Some of my favorite bits are just dragging people into the absurdity of my story because patrons have said some pretty crazy things. However, as time went on, Anne started to feel a bit lonely at her uncertain familial status.
Stupid me letting my character run away and develop a bit too much, but Anne really wants to belong to someone. Not just speculation and half serious ownership on the part of the Captains, but someone who would take Anne in. Not Andrew, but Anne.
Amazing the things I learn about human nature. How basic is this feeling of wanting to belong to someone? To have a father who cares about you and calls you his own (even if you are a girl). Fathers are SO important. Note the underline/italicize/boldface.

I am lucky to have a father who loves me and my real life Daddy and I have a great relationship. He read me novels like Tom Sawyer and To Kill a Mockingbird when I was little and introduced me to Star Wars and the Blues Brothers. Almost every year throughout Jr. High and Highschool we've gone to a father/daughter date night that our church organizes. My dad flew with me down to Florida so I could audition for the dance program at a college and we spent about three days exploring Palm Springs.
I have a fantastic real life Dad.

To all the Captains (and other seafaring gentleman) at the Faire- 
You have all been like Uncles, Brothers, and Cousins to me. Through you I have learned to hold my own place, because you are a hard group to break into and hold your own in. I've had to keep my wits about me and be ready to figure out some way to tie up loose ends and loopholes so that you ALL have to acknowledge the fact that Anne just might be your child. You've taught me about maritime history and how to act like a man (or at least ham it up).

Thank you for taking in a girl to your world of men and really bringing me into your circle when I thought I might just be hanging out on the outskirts, not wanting to intrude. Whoops- wouldn't you know it? I intruded and hung up my hammock to stay!

I already know who Anne's real father is. Part of it came down to the fact that I'm a historical nut and this person made the most sense historically.
I want you all to know, that even if you aren't my dad (I'm still trying to keep this a surprise, otherwise I'd be frank), I consider all of you like family to me and love you all like Uncles and Brothers. I'd say you've been like Fathers to me, but my daddy already fills that space in my heart. Thank you all for the best summer of my life.

I can't wait to see what this last weekend will bring in the way of shenanigans. You have been warned from your trouble making "son." AnneDrew.

My family

So, apart from my VERY dysfunctional character family (Think Mamma Mia in Elizabethan England), I have found the most amazing family in the people that I work with.

Let's see....
I've found a few mother and father type figures, several siblings, aunts and uncles- not to mention those awkward cousins who I wonder if I'm really related to but I love anyway so I must be related to them.

This Sunday I woke up after a MARVELOUS Saturday and my world crashed down around me. My Grandpa Jones will never be able to see what I've done in Ren Faire. I can't tell him (physically) about how much I've learned or what my plans are or how amazing all of these people are.

For anyone who doesn't know by now, summer after my junior year in high School, June 21, my Grandpa died.
Our birthdays are one day apart. I like to think that my Grandpa and I had a special bond. There were a lot of things about him that I didn't realize we had in common until I heard about them at his funeral.
I miss him a lot. I know that his passing when he did was probably a good thing and spared him a lot of pain. He had senior dementia and it was hard for all of us. Whenever I hear bagpipes I think of him, and owls are sort of symbolic of my Grandpa. He carved the most beautiful things out of wood and owls were one of his favorites.

So I go up to Ren Faire really just trying to keep myself together. During morning meeting I drew an owl in my Captains Log and tried to keep it together. Then I went back to the green room and tried to keep myself together. I'm pretty good at shutting everything off and keeping myself together. I tried to bring out my character when playing Towers with Hawkyns and Frobisher, but it really wasn't working. This is what happens when I shut down. Non-functional not good stuff. I was ready to label the day as a "fake it till you make it" type day.
I ended up backstage in the Pole Barn just needing some space to breathe and possibly cry. One of my friends who plays Jinx the over sized Jester asked if I wanted to talk and was very nice when I couldn't really bring myself to do so because I knew I'd pretty much lose it. John came in and I got asked again if I wanted to talk about it. By this time I had my hat over my head and pulled low over my face because I was starting to cry.

Let's get another thing straight. I don't cry easily. Some people will cry at the drop of a hat. I used to have a complex where I saw crying as being weak, but only if I was the one crying. I'm over that but I still don't cry easily.
I can't lie to these people. I just can't. It's pretty much impossible for me to be dishonest around any of the rennies because if I was I'd feel so awful I'd rat myself out. So I started to talk about how I miss my Grandpa. I wish I could tell him things without talking to the air. I knew there would be certain milestones in life that he won't be there for (like my wedding), but I wasn't expecting to be upset that I can't tell him about Faire. I'm sure I said a few other things but your brain gets foggy and your nose gets rather stuffy when you're crying.

John and Jinx were great. They gave me support and didn't try to say "I understand." John actually made a point of saying that he doesn't know what I'm feeling, but he's lost people too and we do go through these moments. He said that Ren Faire is probably the safest and most supporting place to have a moment like the one I was having.
They said how proud they were of me, and how proud they know my Grandpa is of me. Even if I can't see him, he can see me, which I do believe (still sucks on my end of the deal). Then Lettuce came in and asked who she needed to kill and sat with us for a little while as I finished calming down and we had a good laugh about how these types of moments never happen when it's convenient. 

The first rehearsal for Street Cast I went too, I was sitting by myself on the benches before things started. I heard an owl hooting.









Just as a side note- the rest of my dad was fantastic and I had so many laughs and fun times. This summer has passed too quickly. Thank you to all of my family in RenFaire. I don't think I've been able to trust people so much or so quickly as I have with all of you. I can't wait for the next two weekends and the new adventures they will bring.

Weekend 6- Mixed Bag

This weekend had to be one of the hardest weekends to get through. For the most part I have no idea why, and have every idea why.

First of all- I'm tired. I haven't slept through the night all week (last night included). The only night I didn't wake up at 2AM was Saturday night. I'm hoping this week will be different. I'm praying this week will be different. I don't know why I can't sleep through the night. It's not like I'm not active during the day, I have a decent diet, I don't consume large amounts of caffeine or sugar before bed.

Second of all- We're past mid season and I know the Faire is going to be closing soon. I was looking around on Sunday and suddenly had de-ja-vu to my first Faire weekend. I only have three weekends left of what has been the best experience of my life.

Thirdly- College classes start again in two weeks. I'm looking forward to my classes, but not the environment that I'll be in.

Fourthly- I very dear childhood dress-up-dress of mine was partially demolished Friday night. I've had this dress since before I was 4 years old. It was my "pretty" dress, my princess dress, my garden dress. I'm not girly and I love this dress. I wanted to pass this dress on to my little cousin (the daughter of my aunt who gave me this dress). I think it's really important to pass things down and preserve history, especially family history. The partial demolishing seriously threw me and I spent a little while on Saturday hugging a stuffed sheep consoling my inner child while trying to keep in character. Thank goodness Anne Drew had an odd attraction to fuzzy animals and puppets.
Now that I actually write this out- it sounds really silly and trivial. I guess in times of upheaval and eustress and non-positive stress, these are the things that make you seriously unsettled. 

Mostly it's just this reason- I'm dreading living with the feeling of loneliness again. I haven't been lonely all summer, and I hate the idea that I'm going to be going to back to being just a face in a crowd, seeing true friends maybe once or twice a week. I could elaborate, but that would mean telling my life story getting all deep and emotional.

This weekend has some really good points, apart from struggling to keep going all day.

-I tried a lot of new foods. They were all delicious.
-I had some great interactions with children. I was able to coax a really shy little boy to come and play Towers with me. I also got to dance with a princess during closing gate. I had a few other adorable little ones interact with me, but those two were my favorite.
-I got some crazy responses from patrons about how to get a captain out of jail. Most of them would result in his death. For some reason everyone was fixated on the captain dying. I felt bad for the captain and really wanted to look at some of those patrons sideways and ask "What the heck are you thinking?"
-I broke a photographer! Multiple times! It was beyond hilarious and I couldn't stop laughing.
-I got broke by a parody of "That's Amore." I laughed so hard I cried.
-I almost hit a bulls-eye when practicing archery!
-I had an amazing conversation with a fellow cast member and a very fun dinner out with friends.
-I got/am getting jewelry from a pretty shop, and the owners are some of the nicest people ever!
-I found a hat that I will buy next week for a reasonable price.
-I had epic poke/tickle sibling fights with one of the towne criers.
-I had an awesome bit with some of the Draco Disciples.  

So the good moments outweigh the moments I am currently blaming on tiredness/stress. Let's just say that I called myself fat (which is something I strive NOT TO DO) and unintentionally may have insulted someone else because of my self hate comment. I also forgot that they had coal in Elizabethan England, and made blatant reference to Thanksgiving while on the street. I will make fun of myself for the later two things and make a lesson to myself out of the first. The first lesson is this, when I am tired I need to watch my tongue.

Midseason

Just a small post about my thoughts now that the season is at the halfway point.

Words honestly are failing me.
I went into this experience thinking that I'd have fun with some pretty open minded people (I come from a fairly conservative family and background) and entertain a lot of people paying to spend a day in Elizabethan England.
I thought that I'd learn one or two things about acting and performance while combining my love of history with my love of performance.
I knew that this summer would either blow my mind, or I'd never be able to go back to Bristol again. This was a terrifying risk for me since I've been going to the Faire my whole life.

I was so wrong about all of my expectations.

I have fallen in love with the cast and crew. I can honestly say that never have I ever cared about a group of people so much so quickly. Each person that I work with feels like a family member. I have a few sisters, brothers, a lot of cousins, six amazing dads, a few mothers who are the sweetest people on earth, not to mention all of my crazy aunts and uncles. I feel safe around these people. These people make me feel like I have value and talent.

I haven't just learned a few things about performance, I've learned about a billion things. There are things that are probably more subconscious than others, but overall I've been stretched in every direction. At first it was really scary to put myself out there, but I'm getting more fearless as time goes on. Not reckless or totally without fear, I'm just able to say "We're going to do this and it's going to be okay." I've learned to laugh off my mistakes and just roll wherever the scenes go.

I've had so many mentors in my teachers from BAPA as well at the veteran Street Cast members. Even members of other casts have been teachers to me. Above and beyond I've learned that I really do need to take care of myself. I'm so used to taking care of others and pushing myself until I drop. I've come to realize that I do need to start taking care of myself since I am such an active person. I am always going to be an active person, it's just apart of who I am. 

Even more so, I came into this summer uncertain of myself. I don't know where I stand on a lot of grounds. There are a few things that I will not waver on, but almost everything else is still being written. It is because of my time at Faire that I am re-evaluating what I want to do with my life. I didn't know that I had just a passion for history and performance beyond the realm of dance. It's difficult because this means I need to take a new look at what I want to do, but there are more options than there were before. Although I'm still learning my own opinions and figuring out what I think about things, I'm more confidant in what I do know about myself.

Anne has gone through an evolution from the time I created her to who she is today. She started out as this slightly softer spoken, very respectful, extremely wary, shy young woman. As of last weekend she is an out spoken, questioning, precocious, still a little wary, daring young woman. Before the gates opened Anne would never have openly said to the Captain that something was his fault. This Sunday she boldly contradicted the Captain and blamed him for several things (one of which being a wound she sustained from a bar fight). She still has respect for her betters, but she's willing to take a risk.
I like her and admire this sixteen year old girl I portray. I like the moments when I say something that Anne would say, or when Anne says something that I would say. I like seeing how the characters of Bristol reflect something of the people who play them and vice versa.

I went into Bristol not knowing what I'd find. I found home.

The Shirt

Here is the last post to Anne's Clothes. To give everyone a fair warning, this post is a little bit longer than the others. While most of the others only took up half a page or less in my Microsoft Word document, this one was a little over one page. This post is also a bit more serious than the others. Instead of Anne's usual wit and sass (at least I hope I wrote her that way), this has a more bittersweet tone.

The Shirt

Anne scanned the horizon from the top of the crow’s nest. The wind whipped her shirt around her slight frame. The crow’s nest was the only place Anne felt any sense of real privacy. Growing up in London, privacy wasn’t as common as one might like and on a bark like the Gabriel, privacy didn’t even exist.

The crew of the Gabriel had grown used to Anne, or Andrew. They all treated her like a little brother, and Anne insisted on not being given any slack. A few times members of the crew had offered to help her out, but she was determined to do her share and prove her place. She needed somewhere to belong. 

Normally sitting up in the crow’s nest gave Anne a sense of freedom. Today the open space seemed to press in around her. She tugged at the ties on her shirt. The memory of Fanny’s words rose in her mind, when her mother told her that money was tighter than usual. Anne had known what Fanny’s next words would be, though she didn't want to hear them. 

“I didn’t want this for you.” Fanny said with tears in her eyes. “I had to go into this business to help my family. I never wanted this for you, I can’t see any other way to keep us going. I’m not as pretty as I was.” Anne had joked with her mother about men for years, but Anne had never expected to join her mother’s trade.

A quiet childhood longing started to form into a plan. “I could go find my father.” Anne said quietly, glancing at her mother. “I could dress as a boy and find him. I know which men to look for.”

Fanny knitted her brows. “Anne, anyone would be able to tell you’re a girl, even if you did wear boys clothes.”

“I’ve grown up watching men come and go.” Anne shrugged. “How hard can it be to act like one?” Anne had vowed years ago to not become like her mother, for all that she was a good woman, but Anne couldn’t bear to tell that to Fanny.

Keeping up with the men had been harder that Anne had originally thought. She didn’t realize until she was already signed on that she had no plans other than going to sea and voyaging with a captain who might be her father. She didn’t know what would happen if she got caught, who might bail her out of jail for cross dressing, where she would go after she was done at sea. It was unlikely that the Captains would provide anything for an illegitimate daughter. 

The signal for the change in the watch came. It was time to clamber down from her safe spot. Frobisher was just a speck on deck, but Anne could tell he was looking for something. She wondered what he had misplaced this time. Men…

 That night as she lay in bed Anne allowed rare tears to slip out. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and fingered the material of her shirt. It was the only thing she had brought from home of her old clothing. Some children clung to a poppet while they fell asleep. Anne fell asleep holding tight to a corner of her shirt and humming a song she’d heard some of the men singing earlier that day.

"Cold is the Arctic Sea,

Far are your arms from me.

Long will this winter be

Frozen in Frobisher Bay,

Frozen in Frobisher Bay."

 Fin.

There you have it. The story behind all of Anne's clothing. I actually debated whether to use Sailor's Prayer or Frobisher Bay as the ending lyrics, but the later seemed appropriate considering who Anne works for. 

Thank you to all of the character who I borrowed for my stories (and probably shall borrow again). To Everonword, thank you for doing quick edits on my stories so that they flow. Thank you, whoever you are, for reading my rubbish. I hope you've enjoyed these snippets.

Next week, if I am not too busy, I hope to write the event in which the crew finds out that Anne is a girl. Until then, I shall get packing for another wonderful weekend with the best people on earth!

The Red Ribbon, Earring, and Shell Necklace.

The Red Ribbon, Earring, and Shell Necklace.

“What have you got there Andrew?” John piped up from across the galley. Anne tried to stash the earing she’d been gazing at, but Captain Frobisher’s hand caught her wrist before she could hide the bauble.

“Ah-ha!” Captain Frobisher laughed, “I knew you had a girl somewhere, Andrew!”

Anne’s brain raced, “It’s nothing sir.” She tried to twist her arm away but Captain Frobisher plucked the earing out of her hand and held it up to the lamplight.

“This is quite the pretty piece. Who’d it belong to?” While the rest of the crew knew of Anne’s disguise, the captain was still blind and Anne preferred to keep it that way.  Whether through brotherly friendship or bullying she had gotten the crew on her side, but she hardly knew how Frobisher would react to finding out that his ship’s boy and protégé was a lass. 

“A girl back home. We’re promised to each other.” Anne supplied quickly, hoping that it would shut the captain up. The Captain handed the earing back to her. “I don’t think she’ll wait around long, might even be married by the time we get back, she is a few years older than me.” Anne heard a few of the men snicker and she gave them a vicious glare, which only made them chuckle more.

“An older woman?” The Captain roared with laughter.  “You’ll learn Andrew,” Captain Frobisher swung an arm around Anne’s shoulders, “women are as changeable as the tides and plentiful as the fish in the sea. We’ll just find you another one, won’t we men?” The crew gave a resounding assortment of cheers and laughter.

“Sir, I’m only sixteen! I went to sea to get away from women!” Anne protested, only making her situation worse. “I appreciate the offer captain, but-“

Frobisher waved Anne’s pleas away with a punch to her shoulder, “No buts Andrew! When we dock in Bristol the first order of business is to find you a buxom lass to have some fun with.”

“As you wish Captain.” Anne rolled her eyes and ducked out from the galley and scurried away to her hammock. It seemed funny to her how she’d grown up around men all her life, and yet she had barely known anything about men until she had signed on with a crew of them. Once there she pulled out the earing again and looked over the small metal hoop with the glass bead embedded inside. It had been one of her mother’s things, a mismatched earing that Anne had played with since she’d been young. It had been a bracelet until Anne’s wrist had grown too large for the opening. It was the only thing she carried of her mother.

Anne’s hand found the shell that hung from a string around her neck and she gave the good luck charm a small squeeze. Once again she’d just barely escaped another awkward situation with the Captain and crew. Captain Frobisher was mostly bluff and blunder anyway.

“You all right lass?” John’s head peeked over the edge of Anne’s hammock and she nodded. “Whose earring is it?”

“Mine. Same as the ribbon.” Anne stashed the earing and rolled out of her hammock. “Does the captain need me?”

“We’ve got watch now, c’mon.” John patted Anne on the shoulder and the two of them headed up to scan the horizon. 

Look for the last installment of "Anne's Clothes" tomorrow- The Shirt. Hope you have enjoyed reading these little stories, if you've missed any just look for the tag "Anne's Clothes" to find the rest of them! 

The Knife and The Belay Pin, the Pouch, and the Journal and Pencil

Today's first post reviews how Anne got a hold of that knife you see her wearing. Look for the post later tonight (I think around 9pm) about various little trinkets that Anne carries. These two posts are pretty short so I thought that they'd make a good single post length.

The Knife

            “You’ve got a knife, lad?” The boatswain, John, asked. Anne’s hand went to her belt and nodded, feeling the wooden handle in her palm. “Let’s see you use it then." Anne drew her blade and sawed away at the rope John had told her to cut.  “Where’d you get it?”

“Someone threw it into a wall.” Anne summarized as she drew her arm back and forth. It wasn’t a lie, the knife had been thrown, probably by a drunk thug, and had stuck in the wall of the inn she stayed at the night before. When no one came running after it, Anne pulled it out of the framework and made it her own. “Will it do?”

“It’ll do quite well, I think.” John caught the two pieces of rope and Anne stashed the knife back in her belt. The boatswain noted the ribbon that the cabin lad secured his new weapon with. “Got a girl back home, then?”

“What?” Anne looked at the boatswain with alarmed eyes and looked back at her knife. “Oh…erm…aye.” She lied, hoping that no one would question her too much about the few baubles she carried.

The Belay Pin, the Pouch, and the Journal and Pencil

Captain Frobisher’s papers were a mess. How the man had managed to keep the ship running with everything out of order, Anne couldn't fathom. She spent a good hour just putting everything in order and another two hours deciphering the captain’s haphazard scrawl and spelling. Everything needed to be re-logged into the leather bound journal she had found at the bottom of the writing desk. Captain Frobisher, while an accomplished sailor to say the least, was absolute rubbish when it came to keeping track in documentation.

A severe hand cramp caused Anne to put a pause in her copy work. She folded the page she had stopped writing at. Carefully she slid the journal and pencil into the pouch Stretch the sail maker had helped her to sew out of some old clothes. It wasn't as if Anne didn't already know how to sew, but if she was going to try and act like a boy she wanted to at least seem ignorant of sewing. 

The sound of the boatswain’s whistle “all hands on deck” resounded round the ship and sent Anne running out of the captain’s room. Before Anne knew it the crew where all rushing at her and she leap up among the rigging, not stopping her climb until she reached the crow's nest. She didn't come down until the men promised not to haze her any more and went back about their work.

No one noticed that during the next week they were short one belaying pin, or if anyone did notice the appearance of the new item on “Andrew’s” belt, none of the sailors said anything. Even if she did have a knife, Anne felt it was better to be safe than sorry.

Come back around 9pm!

The Boots

The Boots

             Captain Hawkyns pulled a pair of boots out of a trunk and held them out to Anne. “Try these on…lad.” He shook the boots a little when Anne hesitated and she slowly took the shoes from the captain. “Now tell me,” Captain Hawkyns eyed Anne with a curious gaze, “Where do you come from Anne Drew?”

“London.” Anne answered, pulling the leather over her feet. “Nearby Fleet Street.” She looked up to gage the Captain’s reaction. While Hawkyns didn’t give too much pause, his eyes flickered and Anne took a chance, “My mother’s name is Frances Drew, most people know her as Fanny.”

“Dear God.” Anne heard Captain Hawkyns mutter under his breath before he managed a quick recovery, “How old are you lass?”

“Sixteen. Seventeen in September.” Anne could see Hawkyns counting in his mind, she held her breath and waited. Hawkyns looked at Anne with a mix of awe, confusion, and suspicion. Anne had to admit there was not much of a resemblance between the two of them, maybe the eyes or the structure of their noses. “How’d you know I was a girl?”

“You’d have to be blind not to see it, lass.” Hawkyns shook his head, “However, you’d do well to sign onto Frobisher’s crew, I could even help you to keep him blind, not that he isn't already.”

“Why would you do that?” Anne blurted.

Hawkyns gave Anne a smile. “I take care of my men, Anne Drew. Especially the ones who are like unto family to me. How do those boots fit?”

Anne grinned ruefully, she might be able to get something out of being a captain’s daughter after all. At least she’d get a lot more help out of Hawkyns. Maybe letting “Bob” tell Hawkyns about her secret wasn’t such a bad thing after all.  

Tomorrow brings the stories of Anne's knife and jewelry.  Hope anyone who reads these little stories is enjoying them!

Weekend Two- The arrival of a new Anne

This past weekend was really when I felt my character coming out and coming together. Before this weekend, Anne was a little wishy washy about who she wanted to be. After a (much needed) character change in back story during dress rehearsal, I really wasn't sure what to make of Anne. Instead of being a slightly more docile yet sneaky run away, she is now a much bolder and cheekier (and still slightly sneaky) personality. Instead of being Captain Frobisher's servant, she's now more of a protege. All in all, I can wreak a lot more havoc as this new Anne than I could with the old one. My Captain did warn me that this would happen. Once those gates open, everything changes.
Another thing that helps, I work with a lot of bold personalities. I'm just going to get lost if I don't make my own character bolder to compliment and work alongside of the other characters. 

This weekend was a mixed bag. On one hand everything on the Street was great! On the other hand...I was finishing up a 9 day marathon of physical activity that I am not accustomed to. Saturday was much harder than Sunday for reasons that I do not know. I think I got more sleep on Saturday night than I did on Friday.

Saturday went fairly well all in all. There were a couple more times where my captain let me "take the wheel." I also got my first try at playing "Towers" with the Captains. It's like a giant Janga game.  I borrowed a sword for whenever I removed a block, and the blades did feel really awkward in my hand. I am in serious want of lessons in swordplay and archery.
Unfortunately, while I felt much more secure in my character than I did opened weekend, I didn't have all of the energy reserves that I usually have going into a weekend. I did have a moment when I turned to Lefty and said "I'm fading in and out." This was around 2:30pm and he made me go backstage and rest for half an hour. I had really mixed feelings about that because I wanted to talk to more people, but I also know that if I don't rest and am not the top of my game, people aren't going to really want to talk to me. I didn't take as many risks as I did on Sunday and coasted through with a lot of "fake it till you make it" when I was feeling low on energy. Then when I was on my second, third, fourth, fifth, etc, winds I put as much effort into my work as possible.

My stupid performer mentality usually makes me push through anything. I won't pretend I wasn't a little annoyed with Lefty for making me go backstage (he offered to walk me back himself), but I probably wouldn't have made myself take a break. I do stupid things like that. I push through things when I should probably sit down. I sat down this time, and I'll remember to sit down next time. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon.

I got a lot more sleep Saturday night than I did Friday night, and I think it helped a lot during Sunday. I was also a bit more stressed out on Saturday, still recovering from the week at camp.

Sunday my knee was twinging a bit so I wore a knee brace as a preventative measure. While I might not be so great about the whole "take a break" thing yet, I am getting better at the pre-injury prevention. My knee doesn't bother me today, so I think I did the right thing.
On Sunday the BRF got a visit from the fuzzy orange muppet like puppet. I saw it twice and freaked out both times.
I also got a surprise visit from my Uncle and his girlfriend. I was really excited to see them since they live in a different state and I don't think I've seen them since Christmas. Over the weekend I got to see a lot of friends and family. It's a lot of fun because you're playing with people you know, but at the same time you aren't entirely yourself since you're playing another person.

Things I learned this week-
People like to give me advice about being manly. I actually got some great advice from a woman about walking like a man. It was hysterical.
Anne cannot lie to the Queen and will correct the Captain is he is lying to the Queen (I can't wait to see this play out).
Just take a 15 minute break. Seriously. Ice rags, salty snacks, and an extra drink of water will go a long way. And you won't get glares from your director after you tell him (at 1:30 in the afternoon) that this is your first real break. Oops. 

Favorite moments?
Writing false "State Secrets" and incriminating Drake.
Watching my mom sing along to the sea shanties.
Seeing my drama teacher from high school.
"Are we in a bad French Novel?"- the Captain
"Are you sexy, and do you know it?"- Lefty, giving "advise" 
Gertrude Normyl blowing her owl whistle with her eyes crosses and cheeks puffed out. I just about died from laughter.

Now to figure out who is most likely my father. Historically and Fictionally.

The Last Weekend without Patrons

This post is going to be a little bit different. I'm going to lump the two days into one. Why? Because I'm the author and I can.


Saturday- The Last Day of BAPA

To be honest it wasn't the most eventful week. I still had tons of fun and did a lot with my character. One of the Fools and I came up with a bit where he calls me out as a girl and we have to drag a patron in to help me discourage him. He is one of two people who are actually allowed to call me "Anne" without getting socked (or a very dirty look). I did have to make it known that people need to call me "Andrew" or I might not play with them. Most likely I will respond that I do not know their "Anne" but they might address me as "Master Andrew."
My electives on Saturday were phenomenal. My first class was taught by the director of the BRF Fight Cast and he also plays Robin Hood. He's a really cool person and I loved what he had to say about simply making a personal connection with a patron that wasn't apart of a big "bit." I'm really looking forward to having those "small moments" with patrons where I just get to talk to them. I'm looking forward to the big/funny stuff too, but those genuine moments are what people remember for years.
My second elective was about Elizabethan Maritime history. It was taught by the man who plays Sir Francis Drake. It was one of the best history classes I have taken. He was really hilarious to listen to and even though I was pretty tired, I was avidly listening. Plus, I got to try hardtack! It's not that bad once you get used to kind of gnawing at it for half an hour.
After BAPA ended and we all had a mock-cry, the cast of Ren Quest held a BBQ for everyone and I got to hang with a bunch of the cast and just have a good time. We did some improv and I got to go up once (there were SO MANY PEOPLE), and it was a lot of fun. 



SUNDAY- DRESS REHEARSAL!!!!

Sunday was oodles of good times. This past Thursday I got a taste of working with patrons when I went to the train station downtown and passed out fliers with some of the cast (Captain Frobie included) and it was great to get a sense of working with the Catpain and sort-of-kind-of "patrons" (aka- the commuters).
So when Sunday rolled around I loved having one last chance to just play with the other characters, at the same time, I really really really can't wait to talk to patrons.
Wearing my costume wasn't that bad. It was hot, but when you're doing things in costume you don't think about it too much. I love my costume. I love my hat, my shirt, my pants, my doublet, I especially love my belt with everything hanging on it. 
We started out with playing Hot Seat and I got to go up twice. Once with my shipmates, and once with Captain Frobie. It went ok, I've had better Hot Seats, I think I would consider it a warm up more than anything.
Then when Dog and Pony went up with their Muppet-like puppets, I started freaking out because they are SO FLIPPING COOL! I will start wigging out whenever they come near me. Everyone thinks it's really hilarious.
The next super-duper (trying not to use the word "awesome") part of the day was when we split up into our groups and walked around the site. The Captain showed me a map that he drew of the "new world." It's really funny. Kind of one of those things you just have to see or ask me to explain in person. After looking at the map we started our "walk about" and wandered all over the site as Captain Frobie told me which places were good to interact with people in, which shops like the performers (and which ones don't), and just general Faire-things-I-should-know. We ran into a couple characters and got to try out some interactions. The more I work with these people, the more comfortable in my character I get. There's only so much you can do on your own before you need to just start working through things with the people you run into.
I also got to try some of the famously good soup from the Dirty Duck Inn. It's amazing. I'm so glad I get to eat there all summer!
After lunch we had full cast rehearsal for Opening Gate, Closing Gate, and Parade. Mostly there was a lot of joking around while waiting to rehearse Closing Gate. Lots of teasing and general good natured fun.
The next thing that I'll mention is that after our official rehearsal was over I got to hang with some of the women in our cast. These women are so much fun to talk with. One of them told me that I am a "Find." I think the best translation is that I'm of value to the group. I got so many compliments from people yesterday and I was overwhelmed by the support that I've received.

My favorite part of the day is actually my change in backstory. Mwahahaha- the elusive and not often used backstory. I didn't come up with this new story, but my friends Captains Hawkins and Frobisher did.
Apparently Anne is the daughter of a woman known as "Easy Fanny." She has 5 or 6 possible fathers, but she does know that he was a famous Captain. This means that it could be Drake, Hawkins, Frobisher, Wynter, De Goiti, or possibly one or two others. I've been giggling about this since lunchtime yesterday. I like it a lot better than my old backstory and it's a lot simpler to explain! 


So concludes my last post about rehearsals and BAPA. I honestly don't know what posts will look like from here on out. I'll try and post about each weekend, but I can't guarantee anything. I'm going to miss telling a lot, simply because I can't tell everything- there's too much to tell! 


Here's to getting ready for patrons!!! Please come and play with me! Anne will be ever so happy!

BAPA Week 3

Forgive me, dear readers, for I am posting this a day late. However, this may become a new thing for reasons that will become apparent later in this post.

BAPA week 3 was just great, except for the two bug bites I got on the back of my legs. They are on each leg, but in the exact same place on each leg! What the heck?

Dialect part one was as usual very good, but it went very quickly. I love dialect, I think I'm going to have to start learning several of the different English dialects because they are just awesome.

Then came the beloved and dreaded Street Class (aka- improv).
Our teacher decided that we were going to work on endings when interacting with patrons. He also decided to be that patron and be various patrons from that lovely hot flaming place. 
When I went up I got the Patron Who Can't Keep on Topic.
So I try my bit about asking him to show me his walk because being a man, he must have a very manly walk. From there on out it turned into a partial back story telling mixed with a lot of "How the heck do I get out of this?" Somehow I made it out and was very relieved.
I also got a note, apparently I had a hard time with eye contact and kept glancing over the "patron's" shoulder. I know that I have struggled with eye contact in the past and it was a very good reminder for me to work on that, especially when it comes to patrons.

The next improvisation exercise we did was a lot better. I was paired with one of the Comedia troupe and we had to acknowledge each other and show who was the more dominant person (see my second rehearsal post about the status vs. dominance thing). Even though I completely outranked the Comedia player, she was in control of the scene because Anne-Drew is desperately trying to not be found out. The Comedia player kept going at how she thought I was a girl and it was hilarious. I mean, she had an Italian accent and her way of moving is just fantastic. I loved that scene and I really felt my character coming out. I was very defensive about how I was most definitely NOT a girl. It was great and I can't say how much fun I had with that one scene.

One of my friends who plays Captain Hawkins said that he was starting to see my character and I was very pleased by this compliment because it meant that someone else besides myself was seeing something.

Then came Characterization and the downpour of rain that we almost got stuck in. Luckily we ran into the pole barn (which is like a prop house) and did character interviews. I like the homework for this class this week because we have to be our character as if they were at home alone. This is going to be fun coming up with something for Anne Drew.

Then we all went to a slightly damp lunch and after lunch came possibly the best class of the day- Split Second.
In split second we learned about our character's instinct and whether our character is a fight or flight personality. I learned something very interesting. I am a fight personality, but Anne is a flight personality. Now, there are some fine lines to each person. I will stand my ground and not back down, but I won't always challenge someone either. If they provoke me then I will defend, but I won't outright attack.
Anne on the other hand will run if she can, but if she has to stand her ground then she will do her best. She ran away because it was 1) a flight instinct and 2) the only way to get out of a potentially dangerous situation.

The other classes of the day were great too. Dialect was fun because as the upper class accent, our group had a pretty good handle on it and we just talked about random things in our accents with Elizabethan grammar.
My electives were really good and I can already see how they are going to be put into good use. I took a class on storytelling and basically the class taught us how to use our life experiences to tell "true" stories as our characters.
My other class was about "hit and run" street. A hit and run is where you just say one liners as you pass purposefully through a crowd. I can't wait to use this! You can compliment, carefully insult, accuse and confuse, but always build up the patron.
Then came history which was taught by a fantastic man, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time hanging on his every word. This man was an amazing speaker and I can't wait to hear the second half of his speech.

The reason I did not post this last night was that I stayed for the just-for-kicks improvisation event at 8:30pm. I got home around 11pm last night and was just too dog tired to do anything but fall into bed.

Between the time when BAPA ended (around 6pm) and when the improv started I went out for dinner to two friends. One of them is the a fore mentioned Capt. Hawkins and the other is a carpool friend I'll be calling the Fishwife because that's what she plays in Kids Kingdom (or KK).
I had the best time with these two new and fast friends. Everyone I make friends with is so open and there have been so many instant connections that I have made with people. Actually, Capt. Hawkins and I took a walk around BRF before the improv games and just talked about a lot of stuff and I have found a very kindred spirit. This happens so rarely to me that I'm beyond excited to have found such a person at BRF.

The Improv was great. It wasn't apart of BAPA, it's just a thing for cast for after hours kicks and giggles. I didn't have much, if any, trepidation or nervousness about going up and doing stuff. I only stayed for about and hour or so, but it was totally worth it and I believe that I'm going to continue to attend to really get a good grasp of improvisation and just going for things onstage. I went up three or four times and I am proud that I did. I also laughed so hard that I almost cried at some of the other scenes.