[Steppes] A Message to the Populace

[alkudsi at aol.com]

 Lady Katerina,

I would like to address just one point of your missive, if I may. Lord Quill and I expressly did  NOT put on an SCA demo, nor would we without the direct permission of Their Excellencies and yourself. We did not represent ourselves as SCA, nor were we represented that way on the schedule. I have been a member of the SCA for over 30 years, most of that time in this Barony, and have served as both Hospitaler and Seneschal of this Barony, as well. I would never presume to represent the SCA OR the Barony without express permission. What Quill did was fill a time slot that was left empty with a panel, and asked me to help develop the theme of Living History. We covered living re-enactments such as happens in Williamsburg, Civil War re-enactments,  as well as mentioning the SCA and several other types of recreationist groups, in passing. Our audience consisted of an anthropologist, two members of other types of recreation groups, a member of a Civil War reenactment group, and several people, including myself who recreate other periods outside of the SCA time slot. We discussed the difference between recreating and reenacting, and had a fairly interesting discussion on how living history as either a recreationist or re-enactor can give one an appreciation of the culture and arts, some of which have come close to being lost to the modern world. We also discussed how recreating or re-enacting can help a writer or actor, as well as several other topics of that general mien. We expressly did not try to recruit, did not present ourselves as representing the SCA, nor did we pass out any SCA materials. Instead, we helped All-Con fill an empty time slot, had a fascinating discussion with a group of very nice people, and had some fun.

Any individual or groups of individuals may put together a panel for All-Con, and we did so. We did so under our mundane names, and without use of the SCA in the title of the discussion (nor did we represent ourselves as representing the SCA with the All-Con management), which relieves you as Seneschal or the Barony of any liability or responsibility. Living History was a topic we knew, and which was pertinent to the theme of Steampunk. I'm very sorry if you think that we usurped the perogatives of either Their Excellencies or yourself, but I think had you listened in, you would not have felt that way. My background in theater and history, Quill's study in anthropology, and our mutual knowledge of both re-enacting and recreating was an interesting juxtaposition and led to what I think was an interesting panel.

Respectfully Yours and Ever in Service to the Barony of the Steppes

Honorable el-Sayyidda Saqra al-Kudsi

 


 P.S. As for next year's All-Con, I would like to challenge our membership to find a connection between our period and the theme -- which is zombies!


 

-----Original Message-----
From: Seneschal of the Steppes <seneschal at steppes.ansteorra.org>
To: Steppes <steppes at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Tue, Mar 22, 2011 7:46 pm
Subject: [Steppes] A Message to the Populace


Beloved Populace of the Steppes,



I've been reading and responding to many messages regarding the cancelled

All-Con Demo over the past couple of days and I have a few points that I

would like to clarify.



First, the way in which the Barony approaches demonstrations will be

revamped in the coming months.  I will sit down with the Baron, Baroness and

new Hospitaler to come up with a more productive approach to displaying our

talents and recruiting new members.  We all need to view demos as 'mini'

events... they require multiple levels of coordination, teamwork and

understanding of what liabilities we face when holding one.  Most

importantly, I need to impress upon everyone that impromptu demonstrations

and panel discussions that have not been approved by myself or Their

Excellencies are absolutely prohibited.  This is not negotiable.  The

efforts made at All-Con this past weekend are appreciated.  I am grateful

for members who see a need and take steps to benefit the Barony.  However,

as your Seneschal, I personally am legally responsible for the events that

we hold.  Following the guidelines that have been established for demos not

only protects my interests, but will help ensure that we don't risk losing

our Baronial status.  Requesting to know in advance when a group of our

members wishes to represent our Barony is not just professional courtesy, it

is an imperative.  That being said, I will do everything in my power to

accomodate requests for demos as they come up.



I would also like to propose a challenge; to those who have been unsatisfied

with the manner in which this demo was handled, you now have the opportunity

to shape the Barony of the Steppes.  I am creating a Demo Committee of at

least three members, who will do some research into what strategies are

working for other groups, what kinds of displays bring in new members, what

venues work best... the list goes on.  Even a small amount of volunteer work

on this endeavor will benefit our group and you will have the satisfaction

of knowing that you contributed something positive to the Steppes.



Thank you for your cooperation as I strive to make our Barony a more

enjoyable place to live the dream.

YIS,

Lady Katerina O'Cyry

Seneschal of the Steppes

_______________________________________________

Steppes mailing list

Steppes at lists.ansteorra.org

http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/steppes-ansteorra.org