[Bards] Instruct me, please

Peters Athena drgngoddess_2k at yahoo.com
Tue May 27 11:40:18 PDT 2008


Well, I cam e from a theatre background, so my start
in SCA bardic was one of my fist events where a circle
formed around a fire and people started telling
stories and singing songs and the floor was opened so
I hoped on up and did a Shakespeare monologue that I
could recall from memory. That was good fun so the
next event I went to that had a competition I did
another monologue, this time from a Greek tragedy.

After that I was recruited by the Baron's Men and then
I Leoni here in Bryn Gwlad to participate in creating
theatrical performance pieces and commedia. 

While the Baron's Men is probably my most active
participation in the Ansteorran performance realm, I
also branched out and began finding stories and poems
from such period authors as Chaucer and Dante and
began reading them in circles or in competitions. I
also looked into modern singers who put period lyrics
or poems to period-like music and learned some of
those songs to perform. As I can not read music, this
is my way of learning a song that is potentialy
period.

So there is a wealth of performance types you could do
and lots and lots of pieces to choose from, from
something written by yourself to just sharing the
clasics of the times. I love to research the
literature of the period and perform that, because
there are so many jewels out there that so few people
know of now a days and I love discovering these pieces
along with my audience. Dante and Chaucer wrote things
other than The Inferno and Canterbury Tales!?! There
were playwrights after the Greeks and before
Shakespeare!?! And some of it was actually good! :)

I guess my point is that the realm of performance in
the SCA is wide open and you can feel welcome to play
in all of it, follow in the footsteps of previous
bards or find your own niche and introduce us to a new
vision of the Dream that we never considered!

Vyvyanne Fox

--- Jim L Couch <jimcouch at gmail.com> wrote:

> Dearest good gentles and gentle-ladies of the lyst
> 
> Never have I competed in a "bardic" competition, nor
> participated in a
> bardic circle save one.  However, mundanely I have
> participated in
> entertainment (amateur) off and on.  Naturally, your
> list and arts interests
> me a great deal.
> 
> I have "played" off and on (mostly off) for a couple
> years but I have often
> found it difficult to understand how a new person
> begins to find their way
> into the entertainment arts of the SCA.  I wondered
> if any of you would mind
> thinking back and telling me what it was that lead
> you to where you are
> now.  Perhaps I just don't have the personality for
> the arts, but I have
> always been one to listen to teachers and the
> instructs of others.. and I
> will pursue this dream to life or any dying end.
> 
> As for talents?  Only mundanely, of course, I do
> sing decently.  I play
> guitar although it seems that guitar tends to be
> looked down on.  I have
> acted, directed, and wrote several plays even if
> they weren't the skill of a
> master.. i still enjoyed it.  I love to story-tell
> but I will admit I am
> slow to "improv" it.
> 
> I had the good fortune of attending the good Duchess
> Willow's class on
> storytelling (I believe) a couple years ago during
> my first year in the
> SCA.  I will be attending Kings College in Steppes
> (I believe it is) in a
> couple weeks.  My hope is that it will help me
> tremendously.
> 
> Mostly, I find it difficult to step out of my shadow
> unless challenged.  I
> lack self confidence to "promote" myself.  I am
> uncertain what constitutes
> good SCA bardic material.  I am certain that there
> are other problem areas
> but these are the most difficult for me.  I deeply
> admire what you, kind
> readers, do and I have followed your discussions
> here.  Please share any
> advice you can offer.
> 
> I pray that the answers to these questions and more
> will find their way to
> me before I throw myself to the wind and am promptly
> laughed back into my
> shadows, never to appear again.
> 
> ágætliga (honorably)
> Sæmundr the pure of Namron
> 
> -- 
> 
> My life, my hobbies, and pictures at
> http://jimcouch.googlepages.com/
> > _______________________________________________
> Bards mailing list
> Bards at lists.ansteorra.org
>
http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/bards-ansteorra.org



      




More information about the Bards mailing list