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BAPA: Exclusively for the Cast of the Bristol Renaissance Faire |
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What is BAPA? |
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The Bristol Academy of Performing Arts (BAPA) is an intensive 5 week course to prepare our cast for the 19 performance days. During BAPA each cast member will create their own unique character while focusing on characterization, dialect, history, improvisation and music. It provides the cast an opportunity to get to know one another while attending courses taught by nationally recognized performers, historians and musicians.
BAPA also qualifies for college credit! All locations in the University of Wisconsin system offer credit under their Acting Internship program. There are also numerous other universities who offer general internship credit. Working with your academic advisor, Bristol will help you set up and fulfill your real-world experience in the theatre environment. Please contact bristolfriends@renfair.com for more information. |
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Your First Year in BAPA |
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If this is your first season as a performer at the Bristol Renaissance Faire then you are REQUIRED to attend all BAPA classes. There are required courses for you to take, and then we offer 'electives' that you may choose. In total, you will attend 40 hours of class dedicated to developing your skills and knowledge to bring a Bristol character to life. |
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An example schedule is below. Note that the meeting begins at 10am. Therefore you must arrive BEFORE 10am to sign in and receive all your class materials. |
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| 10:00-10:30 (:30) |
Morning Meeting - (Bob Brinkman) |
| 10:30-11:15 (:45) |
Site Tour / Ask a Veteran - (Heath Denikas) |
| 11:15-11:40 (:25) |
Choosing of Electives - (Betsy Grindol) |
| 11:40-12:25 (:45) |
Dialect and Vocal Work - (Mary Kababik & Steven Schmitt) |
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A |
B |
C |
D |
| 12:30-1:25 (:55) |
Dialect and Vocal Work (Mary Kababik & Steven Schmitt) |
Street/Characterization (Adam McAleavey) |
Improvisation (Bob Brinkman) |
Faire Music (Dan Marcotte) |
| 1:30-1:55 (:25) |
LUNCH - Box lunch is available for purchase at the Dirty Duck Inn |
| 2:00-2:55 (:55) |
Street/Characterization (Adam McAleavey) |
Improvisation (Bob Brinkman) |
Faire Music (Dan Marcotte) |
Dialect and Vocal Work (Mary Kababik & Steven Schmitt) |
| 3:00-3:55 (:55) |
Improvisation (Bob Brinkman) |
Faire Music (Dan Marcotte) |
Dialect and Vocal Work (Mary Kababik & Steven Schmitt) |
Street/Characterization (Adam McAleavey) |
| 4:00-4:55 (:55) |
Faire Music (Dan Marcotte) |
Dialect and Vocal Work (Mary Kababik & Steven Schmitt) |
Street/Characterization (Adam McAleavey) |
Improvisation (Bob Brinkman) |
| 5:00-5:55 (:55) |
History / Customs / Manners (T. Stacy Hicks) |
| 5:55-6:00 (:5) |
Homework Assignment (Bob Brinkman) |
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Undergraduate Level Electives |
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As a first year performer you will sign up for your electives on your first day of BAPA. These descriptions are listed here simply for your information. If you are a Graduate-level performer you are welcome to sign up for these courses. Please see the section "How to Sign Up for Courses". |
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| Another Perspective |
Character Class Interactions |
Elizabethans Ate That! |
| Adam McAleavey & Beth Kelly |
Heath Denikas |
Rebecca Schmitt |
| *New for 2011* |
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| Street work. Sometimes it can be hard to take the lessons of the street class and apply them to a niche character. This class provides a new perspective so that performers can wring every last bit of utility from their street and character classes. Sometimes you just need another perspective. |
Are you a peasant, wondering how best to interact with the nobility? Nobility wondering how best to interact with a Fantastikal? Everyone has different sets of rules to play by, and you can learn how to turn an understanding of those rules into interactions that will draw and charm an audience. |
What Would You Eat? Come learn about the foods that were common in Elizabeth's England. Is there food to eat? Of course! Rebecca Schmitt of the Dirty Duck Inn has been eating as long as she can remember. |
| AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
| Fantastikals, Undergrads |
Undergrads, Grads, Fantastikals |
Undergrads, Grads |
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| Elizabethan Maritime History |
Focusing Your Character Back-Story |
Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves - The Elizabethan Underworld |
| William Dezoma |
Steven Schmitt |
Jim Owczarski |
| The English have a long tradition of sea-faring, and Bristol has long played a part in it. Learn to tell a xebec from a frigate. Learn the history of the British sailor, and come to understand why the maritime life is such a huge portion of the national spirit. |
So you've created a character for the streets of Bristol and you have a wonderful history to go with him. Now learn how to actually make use of that creation and share it with patrons. Remember, if the audience never learns of your backstory, it doesn't matter! |
Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves - The Elizabethan Underworld: Cutpurses, conycatchers, perjurers, loiterers, even an organized crime boss or two mix things up to make Merrie Olde England a little more menacing. Spend some time with the darker side of the Renaissance. Jim previously played Sir Edward Coke, Her Majesty’s Attourney General (and head Badde Guy) at the Faire and is now a Daddy. |
| AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
| Undergrads, Grads |
Undergrads, Grads |
Undergrads, Grads |
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| Historical Bits |
How to Say Almost Anything to Anyone |
How to Start Patron Inter-actions by Just Being Friendly |
| Jim Owczarski |
Mary Kababik |
Steven Schmitt |
| The estimable Mr. James Owczarski has long wanted to teach a class in which each participant creates at least three short, one-minute bits for their character "pouch" that have entertaining but completely HISTORICAL hooks. Wait no longer - Here It Is! From a MASTER of historically based, mind-bogglingly entertaining bits, Jim previously played Sir Edward Coke, Her Majesty’s Attourney General (and head Badde Guy) at the Faire and is now a Daddy. |
Patrons say the strangest things … especially in the context of our Renaissance world. How do you respond to the anachronistic, the unusual, and the outrageous without violating your character or our fictional universe? Take this class and learn how to say almost anything to almost anyone. Mary is the Faire’s dialect teacher and plays Queen Elizabeth. |
Your initial approach to a patron can set the tone for the entirety of your encounter. With that in mind, it is easy to over think your approach. Get back to basics with techniques to get patrons to open up, simply by being friendly. |
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AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
| Undergrads, Grads |
Undergrads, Grads |
Undergrads, Grads |
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| How To Dye |
I Can't F#@*ing Sing! (For those who always wanted to match pitch but couldn't) |
I'm on the Hot Seat, Your Majesty |
| Alyssa Bolden |
Dan Marcotte |
Mary Kababik |
| Learn the art of dying fabrics without ruining them…or everything around them. A practical education in dying from Bristol's costumer. |
For those who can't match pitch, carry a tune, and have no idea how to read music. In one class, each student will be able to match pitch and sing a simple melody. Dan is the Faire's Music Director, a former BAPA student himself and father of 2. |
“I’m On the Hot Seat” and “Your Majesty” are improv games with a great history of success in developing and uncovering character. They’re also huge fun, especially taught by Mary Kababik, who plays her share of “Your Majesty” in her role as Queen Elizabeth at the Faire. |
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AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
| Undergrads, Grads, Fantastikals |
Undergrads, Grads |
Undergrads, Grads |
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| Improv, Improv, Improv |
Improve, Improve, Improve |
Living a Day |
| Bob Brinkman |
Shane Hill |
Bob Brinkman |
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*New for 2011* |
| An entertainer should always work the fundamentals. This class focuses and expands on the lessons from the daily improv classes to help hone techniques and prepare new performers for a season on the streets of Bristol. |
Advanced improvisation and street techniques to polish your skills and prepare for another season at Bristol. Learn to take basic techniques and bring them to the next level, directly on the street. Turn improv games into patron interaction techniques without them being any the wiser. |
Sometimes a single exercise can change everything. Living a Day is a single, hour long improv exercise where participants will live an entire day in the life of a primitive tribe, start to finish. There is no language, there is only action. Cooperation and physical movement are vital. Learn to work and express yourself, without ever saying a word. |
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AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
| Undergrads, Grads, Fantastikals |
Undergrads, Grads, Fantastikals |
Undergrads, Grads, Fantastikals |
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| Making Dorset Buttons |
More than just a Bow |
One on One Street Interaction |
| Marybeth Townsend |
Marybeth Townsend |
Bob & Robyn Hollister |
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*New for 2011* |
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| A long tradition before the buttons became an industry, Dorset buttons are a fine addition to a historical costume. From the simple to the stunning, Dorset buttons are a decorative piece of history brought to life. Learn to make these buttons in a simple, materials included, class. Participants will finish the class having made their own button. |
The reverance. It isn't a bow, it isn't a curtsey. It is more thana sign of respect. This simple act is a key portion to the theatrical image put forth to our patrons. Learn the customs, the hows and the whys of this vital component in a performer's bag of tricks. Learn how to use this simple act to enhance interactions with patrons and playtrons alike. |
Bigger isn't always better. Sometimes the most magical moments a patron can have on the streets of Bristol is that face to face interaction with an entertainer devoting a small portion of their time exclusively to entertaining the individual. Learn techniques that will allow you to have those intimate performances while still being available and interesting to the rest of the audience. |
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AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
| Undergrads, Grads, Fantastikals |
Undergrads, Grads |
Undergrads, Grads |
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| Outside Voice |
Parliamentary Debate |
Politics Are Religion |
| Steve Schroeder |
Jim Owczarski |
Jim Owczarski |
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*New for 2011* |
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| Outside Voice - On the streets of the Faire, your character is effective for the distance you can be seen and heard. In other words, the bigger your voice, the bigger your crowd. Learn techniques for maximum projection and vocal protection, and watch your audience grow. Steve’s a veteran of the Court, former Lord Mayor, director of the Speech program at the College of Du Page, and the founding (retired) Director of the Bristol Buskin Frolic. Corsets or other pieces of costuming that usually interfere with breathing should be brought to and worn during the class. |
Learn to debate and argue…constructively. Never say no, always expand and yet still strengthen your position. Now learn to do that when confronted by someone of a higher station than yourself. Think you are up to the challenge? Students will debate fine points of nursery rhymes (Resolved - Mary had a little lamb), while exercising their minds, and their characters to the fullest. |
Politics are Religion: In Elizabethan England, all men are not created equal and there is no separation of church and state. The Queen is God’s representative on earth and the head of the church. Join Jim as he rants on—or rather, discusses—the state of religion in the English Renaissance. Jim Owczarski previously played Sir Edward Coke, Her Majesty’s Attourney General (and head Badde Guy) at the Faire and is now a Daddy. |
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AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
| Undergrads, Grads |
Undergrads, Grads |
Undergrads, Grads |
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| The Portable Queen |
Sea Shanties for Non-Sailors |
Scams, Gags, Fortune Telling and Summoning |
| Stacy Hicks |
Dan Marcotte |
Bob & Robyn Hollister |
| The ceremony and splendor, the complexity and majesty, the logistics and mechanics of the Elizabethan court progress all explained in detail. Learn about this complex and fascinating facet of life with the Elizabethan court. Stacy Hicks is an actor with Milwaukee Shakespeare, the Milwaukee Rep and a long-time BRF Costumer, Guildemaster, and Character-extraordinaire. |
Music really is for everyone. Learn the traditional work songs of the British sailor. Easy to learn, these songs are a great addition to a character "pouch." Whether strolling the streets of Bristol singing alone, or leading a group of rowdy souls in a raucous sing-along, these tunes are historical fun that you cannot help but share with the patrons around you. |
From the seedy to the strange, the edgier side of street improvisation. Learn solo and group techniques to bend the patron's thinking to your own. Answer any question that they might ask, while making them care more about the performance instead of the answer. |
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AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
| Undergrads, Grads |
Undergrads, Grads |
Undergrads, Grads |
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| Sewing Basics |
Subtleties of Movement |
The Siege of Bristol |
| Alyssa Bolden |
Kristen Mansour |
Jim Owczarski |
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*New for 2011* |
| Tired of bleeding all over your beautiful new costume fabric from needles in the fingers? It's Alyssa, the Faire Costumer, to the rescue. Alyssa will teach you the basics for successful sewing. First this class, tomorrow the world! Alyssa is the Faire Costumer, a research fiend and comes to us straight from Chicago Shakespeare. |
How a character walks, thinks, or even sits creates an impression and expectation in the mind of an audience. Learn how to harness those subtleties that make such a large difference. Understand the difference between how a farmer moves versus a sailor. Increase the definition on your character and give them that vital final spark of life. |
The newest in character building exercises. What if? What if Bristol were attacked by the Spanish? How would your character respond? What would they be doing? A joint character building narrative that applies to any character at Bristol from the court to the beggar, from the military to the fae. (Class Size 12) |
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AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
| Undergrads, Grads, Fantastikals |
Undergrads, Grads |
Undergrads, Grads |
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| What Elizabethans Didn't Know |
What Elizabethans Knew |
What is an NPC? |
| Karen Dezoma |
Jim Owczarski |
Shane Hill |
| There are a great number of subjects that we, as modern performers, take for granted. Hygiene, DNA, time and more will be explored so that performers have a solid grasp of how to respond to patrons when asked about these subjects. From the weekly bath to the "Flemish Painter" this class solidly grounds things into accurate as well as entertaining. |
The Elizabethan outlook as seen through its historiography, literature, view of the classical era., etc and how it relates to your character. Don't expect a dry lecture, this is earthy and lively stuff as presented by Jim Owczarski. Jim previously played Sir Edward Coke, Her Majesty’s Attourney General (and head Badde Guy) at the Faire and is now a Daddy. |
Non Player Characters. How do they advance the plot line of a game? Who are they? What do they do? Are they worth XP?
Discover how you, the NPC, can bring more depth to the player experience of RenQuest. Learn the tools to aid or confuse, to bemuse or befuddle. |
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AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
| Undergrads, Grads |
Undergrads, Grads |
Undergrads, Grads |
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BAPA Graduate Level Electives |
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The following courses are only available to Graduate-level performers as they conflict with the core BAPA courses. Please note that if you wish to sign up for Circus Skills then you must attend all three weeks. Attendees who miss a week will not be accepted. Please see "How to Sign Up for Courses". |
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| Beverage Hawking |
Circus Skills (3 week class) |
English Pirates, Privateers and Smugglers |
| Shane Hill |
Barely Balanced |
William Dezoma |
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*New for 2011* |
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| Bring your tavern experience to a new level of fun, frivolity and sales supremacy. Raise your voices high and elevate your Customer's Faire experience by hawking your wares in a fun and effective manner. |
Learn circus skills from Bristol's resident circus entertainers, Barely Balanced. This intensive course is taught by all three members of the popular troupe, and will arm you with a variety of new skills and techniques to entertain and amaze! (90 Minute class w/ 3 week commitment) |
Living in a port exposes a person to any number of unsavory types. Learn more about the seedier side of the British maritime tradition in this class focusing on the rogues who called England home. |
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AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
| Beverage |
Grads |
Grads |
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| Everything Old… |
Marketplace 101 |
Marketplace Hawking |
| Bob & Robyn Hollister |
Alyssa Bolden, Julia Romanski, Steve Schroeder |
Steve Schroeder |
| *New for 2011* |
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| A practical history of the Bristol faire. Learn about those who came before in the context of using their well-learned lessons to work for you now. Learn how to recapture some of the more effective lessons of the past and use them to your advantage now. |
First segment: How and why to thrill your Customers with basic greetings, salutations and chit chat for the sake of sales. Second segment: Dressing yourself and your shoppe for fantastic Faire sales success. Alyssa is the faire's costume director; Julia is a long-time BRF merchant and the Marketplace Director; Steve is a veteran of the Court, former Lord Mayor, director of the Speech program at the College of Du Page, and the founding (retired) Director of the Bristol Buskin Frolic. |
Nearly 200,000 patrons enter the gates of the Bristol Renaissance Faire every day. How do you get their attention and pull them into your shop ready to buy? Hawking! Great hawking distinguishes you from the crowd. It can tell your customers immediately what sort of impression your wares will make. Taught by Steve Schroeder, who also teaches "Outside Voice" for the Entertainment Cast, Steve’s a veteran of the Court, former Lord Mayor, director of the Speech program at the College of Du Page, and the founding (retired) Director of the Bristol Buskin Frolic. |
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AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
| Grads |
Beverage, Marketplace |
Beverage, Marketplace |
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| Neato Techniques! How to Sing so that people think you're working harder than you actually are. |
O For An Ecphonesis O -The First Folio Technique for performing Shakespeare |
Patrons... Actually |
| Dan Marcotte |
Stacy Hicks |
Meredith Fernandez |
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| Tricks of the trade for more experienced singers. Bring ANY piece of music you sing, and learn some sneaky shortcuts to sounding good and not working so hard. Dan is the Faire's Music Director, a former BAPA student himself and father of 2. |
Shortly after Shakespeare's death his plays were published to be preserved for posterity. This First Folio of his work is widely accepted by scholars as the closest we can get to the actual texts as he wrote them. Explore the hidden directions and clues that Shakespeare wrote into his words for the benefit of the actors saying them. Why are certain words spelled certain ways? Why are some words capitalized in the middle of a sentence? What is an iamb and how does the meter of the line inform your character's emotion? Discuss these and many other topics in a class that promises to be of benefit to both actors and historians alike. Stacy Hicks is an actor with Milwaukee Shakespeare, the Milwaukee Rep and a long-time BRF Costumer, Guildemaster, and Character-extraordinaire. |
Years of experience can help a performer deal with the challenge that is the Bristol Renaissance Faire audience. Meredith has seen it all; the good, the bad and the downright ugly. Come learn how to deal, what patrons really expect from us and even how to surprise them. Strategies for choosing just the right audience for interactions will be emphasized as well as rescue and recovery from problem situations. |
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AVAILABLE TO: |
AVAILABLE TO: |
| Grads |
Grad Only |
Grads |
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| Perverted Songs of the Renaissance |
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| Dan Marcotte |
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| Perverted Songs of the Renaissance – Perhaps the Puritans were justified in suspecting the populace of indulging in hedonistic pleasures of the flesh. Learn songs of lust, fornication, drugs, violence, and more. Dan is the Faire’s Music Director and no stranger to perversion himself. |
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| Grads |
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How to Sign Up for Courses |
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If you are a first year performer, ignore this section. You will sign up for courses on your first day of BAPA.
If you are a Graduate-level performer then you must sign up for courses using the cast yahoo group. Courses are first-come, first-serve so please sign up asap! If you are not a member of the cast yahoo group please contact your director. |
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Faculty |
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The Faculty of the 2011 |
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Bristol Academy of Performing Arts |
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Director of Program |
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Bob Brinkman |
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Veteran Las Vegas Entertainer |
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| Circus Skills |
Costuming |
Dialect |
| Margret Ebert |
Alyssa Leach M.F.A. |
Mary Kababik M.F.A. |
| Member - Barely Balanced |
Faire Costumer |
Queen Elizabeth |
| James Freer |
Marybeth Townsend |
Steven Schmitt |
| Member - Barely Balanced |
Member - Guilde of St. George |
Director - Guild of St. Lawrence |
| Cameron Tomele |
History |
Improvisational Theater |
| Director - Barely Balanced |
Karen Dezoma |
Heath Denikas |
| Diversity Training |
Member - Guilde of St. George |
Faire Quartermaster |
| Fred Henry M.A. |
William Dezoma Ph.D. |
Meredith Fernandez |
| Member - Guilde of St. Michael |
Member - Guilde of St. George |
7+ Year Veteran Entertainer |
| Movement & Dance |
T. Stacy Hicks |
Shane Hill |
| Clayton Hamburg |
20+ Year Veteran Entertainer |
Director - RenQuest |
| Director - BBF |
Jim Owczarski M.A. |
Bob Hollister |
| Elizabeth Kelly |
Historian and Veteran Entertainer |
Owner - History Repeats Itself Prod. |
| Director - Fantastikals |
Rebecca Schmitt |
Robyn Hollister |
| Kristen Mansour |
Member - Guilde of St. Lawrence |
20+ Year Veteran Entertainer |
| 20+ Year Veteran Entertainer |
Music |
Adam McAleavey |
| Stage Voice |
Dan Marcotte M.M. |
Director - Street Cast |
| Steven Schroeder M.A. |
Faire Music Director |
Arne Parrot |
| College of Du Page |
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Veteran Entertainer |
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The Faculty of the 2010 |
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Bristol Academy of Performing Arts |
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Director of Program |
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Bob Brinkman |
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Veteran Las Vegas Entertainer |
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| Costuming |
History |
Improvisational Theater |
| Alyssa Leach M.F.A. |
Karen Dezoma |
Heath Denikas |
| Faire Costumer |
Member - Guilde of St. George |
Faire Quartermaster |
| Rane Maska |
William Dezoma Ph.D. |
Shane Hill |
| Assistant Costumer |
Member - Guilde of St. George |
Director - RenQuest |
| Marybeth Townsend |
T. Stacy Hicks |
Bob Hollister |
| Member - Guilde of St. George |
20+ Year Veteran Entertainer |
Owner - History Repeats Itself Prod. |
| Dialect |
Mike Nickerson |
Robyn Hollister |
| Mary Kababik M.F.A. |
Member - Guilde of St. Lawrence |
20+ Year Veteran Entertainer |
| Queen Elizabeth |
Jim Owczarski M.A. |
Adam McAleavey |
| Steven Schmitt |
Historian and Veteran Entertainer |
Director - Street Cast |
| Director - Guild of St. Lawrence |
Rebecca Schmitt |
John Walski |
| Diversity Training |
Member - Guilde of St. Lawrence |
25+ Year Veteran Entertainer |
| Fred Henry M.A. |
Movement & Dance |
Stage Combat |
| Member - Guilde of St. Michael |
Jenni Glueckstein M.F.A. |
Greg Larson - SAFD Actor Combatant |
| Music |
Director - BBF |
Director - By the Sword |
| Dan Marcotte M.M. |
Catherine Smoot |
Stage Voice |
| Faire Music Director |
Dance Mistress - Guild of St George |
Steven Schroeder M.A. |
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Genesee Spridco M.F.A. |
College of Du Page |
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Director - Fantastikals |
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