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<font size=3>At 02:25 AM 4/11/2006, Scott Barrett wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">If one of my responsibilities as
a storyteller is to speak truth to power, I will say this. I want the
landed nobles and the current royals (Their Majesties and Their
Highnesses) to invite performers to entertain them in intimate settings,
not in the middle of court. We tend to follow the banners lifted by our
nobles, so I say we convince them to host circles and shows. I wanna see
the King (better yet, the Queen) at Gulf War host an Ansteorran 'Revel of
Roses' or 'Minstrelfest', with formal invites to the other royals and
performers of the various kingdoms for a grand night of entertainment. If
we can't strive for the war point, we can at least honor and entertain
those who can with one heck of a show every year.<br><br>
Well... there went an hour of my life.<br>
~Finnacan<br>
</blockquote><br>
</font>Hear, hear, Finnacan. I agree. More
informal/non-competition performances, and separate the music from the
static arts. I, too find it a bit... well I wouldn't call it
pointless, but something close, to compete against someone's pottery or
embroidered glove.<br><br>
On that note, I did sing at the A&S competition at Gulf Wars last
year. There were only four or five of us after the formal bardic
performances ended. We sang for two hours, trading off between
us. It was fun, hard, and educational. My voice was shot in
the end. I wondered if anyone could hear me at times, knew they
were hearing me at others. I will say, that I had more fun
fire-walking than I did there. Somehow, fire-walking felt more
"real," more comfortable. I hope to go to the war
next year, but I don't know if I will compete in the A&S with
song.<br><br>
I will say, that the most fun I have had in a long time, was the feast at
the Tourney of the Loch. There, the baron invited bards to perform
while people ate. We were in a small hall, and I had the incredible
and unusual experience of realizing that most, if not all, of the people
in that room were actually hearing me. I have never seen so many
eyes at an SCA event when I was performing. Wonderful! That's
what I call living MY dream.<br><br>
Maggie<br>
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