[Bards] Unanswered questions //Bardic College/// and Eisteddfod

[Gerald Norris]

Duchess Willow said:
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I know I have seen some Baron/ess do  a good job. 

/*snip*/

It was common for Bards to cry the Largess and Courtesies of nobles that
supported them and we need to take a page from their books and give word
fame to the courts of nobles that support us. 
willow de wisp 
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I agree, Your Grace, and so I'll place the first bit of wordfame here; HE
William of Welewyn, Baron of Loch Soillier.

For those who haven't attended a Loch Soillier event during William's reign,
you have missed a very good time.  His Excellency does a wonderful job of
using the bardic community for any number of chores, but one of his best
"tricks" is during feast.  Around the coastal region we call it "reverse
dinner theater hostage".  

Typically, William will call on his champion to perform for the populace and
do so in a manner that is very public, calling attention to the performance.
If a visiting landed noble is attending he may ask that worthy whether their
champion is in attendance; if he/she is, why, let us have them perform, so
that we may compare our two champions.  And then the fun begins.  Typically
it will start out with bards that he already knows, but many of us use this
as an opportunity to "out" new talent, or someone who doesn't often get to
perform.  Or, His Excellency will ask if there are other talents who do not
see the chance to perform as often as others; in either case, it's fun to
watch performers sell each other out (in a friendly manner), or performers
who realize that someone might know that they can tell a story, sing a song,
or recite a lovely bit of poetry.  Brows knit as each realizes that their
head might be the next on the block.

The populace is entertained, the performers are usually more than willing to
point out a talent (I do believe that Lady Gwen had a perfect opportunity to
witness this first hand, hence her comment about talking under her breath
while sitting next to Maddog (himself a wonderful performer).  It turns out
Lady Gwen has a WONDERFUL voice and it was put to good use), and all with
enough theatricality on the part of the baron to bring attention to the
performances.

Your Mileage May Vary:  Loch Soillier events are not Steppes events; the
setting is usually more intimate (smaller), with feast usually consisting of
70 people close enough together to be able to hear ALL of the performers.

For those of us who are event stewards, it might behoove us to think of
placing dinner tables a bit closer together (yes, I know that we still need
room for people to maneuver, but I'm assuming everyone can figure it out),
so that when such moments as these come up, those at feast can HEAR the
performances that are happening.  Just a thought.

In service to the dream with a song in my heart, I am,
HL Gerald of Leesville
A bard of Stargate