[Ansteorra] new format ideas was Presentation at Round Table

[willowdewisp at juno.com]

Greetings from Duchess Willow de Wisp, OP OR OL, Lion of Ansteorra and a member since AS III<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
 
Our King has said “there trouble right here in Ansteorra”, but he failed to describe the problem. Our problem is our events are not attracting people.  
 
While the people putting on the Events are happy with what they are doing many members are no happy and feel it is a waste of time to attend events outside of their Area.
 
In the last year I have attending event after event that was based on people talking to their friends. I did not know many people so I walked around feeling lonely. This isn’t the SCA I joined and stayed in for so many years.
 
I go to SCA events for escape and atmosphere. I like pretty so I go for the banners and flags. I like the courtesy so I go to be able to interact with people in a courtly manner. I also like to do things in persona and tell stories and when I was younger dancing. Now I like to watch the dancing. I love the Magic. 
 
I don’t like events that make you feel like an outsider. I don’t like feast when they don’t light candles. I don’t like tourneys that are run so fast you cannot tell who won. I don’t like 3 or 4 or more list fields going at the same time. I hate it when fighters don’t fall down and die. I don’t like Court that ruin the evening party and I hate these made up courts that do not reflect our study eras. I am really bored with parties that consist of everyone just getting drunk .I hate events that have no venue for me to entertain. I despise events where behaving in a medieval fashion seems to be discouraged.
 
I realize that the people putting on the events expect us to entertain ourselves and they are comfortable with the current style of event. I also realize that they are doing a lot and these limited events are what they have the workers to do. If they’re going to be more at our events then those people currently not working on the events will have to pitch in and make them these things happen.
 
Here are a few simple things that will spice up our event and make people willing to attend out of group event.
 
First let’s look at Ansteorra events that use to pull people. What did they have that we are not doing now? 
 
Decoration: In the past there was a lot of effort to decorate and make things look period. I enjoy events that have period decoration and wall hangings and candles. I spent my first years just enjoying the candlelight. It was so romantic. Candle light brings out the romantic in all of us.
I believe that pageantry and beauty is a major attraction of the SCA so we need to dress up our sites. So please make one room sort of medieval. I would be willing to help people make wall hangings.
 Most of the Wall Hangings used at events where made by people working independently and did not use SCA money and where kept by the artist that made them. Often they were made to fit into a theme of an event at the request of the Autocrat. Sometimes the event was created to show off the decoration. 
 
As individuals we can add to the beauty and pageantry of an event by decoration our personal space and if we are really trying to make Magic make our own Mini event at our area and invite the wandering souls in. Many of the people we attract are isolates by nature and need the game we play to be comfortable at events. If you allow people to bask in the Magic at you campsite you will be serving a great service to the kingdom.   
 
Entertainment not contests” We arranged entertainment. Not only the Bard telling us the tales of Anstoerran Heroes, but also persona play. The King would declare that the food would not be served until a marvel appear and message for Pester John could come in and set everyone on a quest. Or the peacock in it plumage would be bought in and the Knights would swear oaths. All of this didn’t just happen. It was planned and arranged so it looked like it was just natural. 
 
We need some entertainment. I would like a kingdom office of Master of Revels and I would like to see every event have a Master of Revels. This office would be used to arrange some entertainment at events. Just enough to make the Magic. The Office would search out "good" talent and arrange places from them to entertain that didn't interfere with the people who just want to talk to their friends. The Master of Revels might organize some open areas where anyone could perform. That would allow the performers to show what they could do and allow the Master of Revel a place to find new performer. 
 
We used to do Courtly dancing. This was often on the Green .The Master or Mistress of the Revel would organize that and coordinate it with other activities. 
 
We used to have Taverns with persona play and Coffee Housed and entertainment area all over a site. These were places that people who new, or just didn’t know a lot of people or just don’t like everyday conversation could go. They were like pools of enchantment.  
 
There was Courtly conversation among the populace. Gentlemen would address the Ladies and kiss their hands and Ladies, even old ladies like me, would flirt with the gentlemen. The behavior of the populace can make or break the ‘Magic” of an event. 
 
We need to increase the Courtesies. Many a Lady and Gentleman were drawn to the SCA for the chance to do those old fashion Courtesies. When we make our events so everyday people really do not know how to act so in doubt they fall back on the everyday. In the everyday world the lady carries her own load and is proud to do so. If a Lord is trying to be Courtly.to a lady who is being everyday then the Lord often gets rebuffed and the event is somewhat ruined for him. 
 
These kinds of Courtesies are better learned in a group situation through Modeling.  We need to open our personal space to new people and show them the courtesies by doing them. We also need to arrange more classes on the subject. In today’s world young people learn to be very quiet until they have mastered a skill so our current recruits will be slow to do any courtly interaction until they are conformable with doing them. 
If we looked more medieval and acted more medieval and if we made sure that we, (that everybody who can,) welcome people to our events. I believe that we would go a long way to increasing people going to out of group events and increasing our membership
 
 
 
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