I camped at the faire's campground this weekend. From a scholarly standpoint, I got some great data and learned some things I had not known about how the performers at the faire approach their job. From the standpoint of someone who loves renfaires, it was a lot of fun to get to play behind the scenes and be treated like I was somewhat part of the cast for a while. And I have truly never tried to stay in character before as much as I did this weekend, which was a really valuable experience for a participant observer kind of ethnographer like myself.
But none of this would have happened if not for the people who assisted me and allowed me inside the workings behind the scenes. And for that, I must say my thanks. Ed Frederick, the general manager of the Kentucky Highland Renaissance Festival, and Carolyn Cook, the cast director, were both quite understanding and accommodating, letting me into the "backstage" portions of the faire. But it was Bob Watters, the assistant cast director, who really advocated on my behalf, vouching for me to the bosses so that I could do this part of my research. Thanks a million!
Also, my Kickstarter proposal has been fully funded! (see earlier blog post) Several people made modest donations, for which I am quite thankful. And one individual, whom I have never met which makes me doubly grateful, donated $400 (see special thanks below). In my world, that's a lot of money.
I got a bunch of really nice interviews with performers, cast members, and the people who run this faire. I mean some really excellent insights! This week I'll be doing a lot of transcription (the boring part) from the recorded interviews to get it all onto a page. But this part of the process also lets me hear what people have said--again--and mentally process it moving forward with my research, long before I get to the writing stage.
Avast! Sorry there were no pirates in this post. It was Pirate Weekend, so I'll have to sort through my notes and photos and make another post this week about them.
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