See also: Renaissance Tips People sometimes ask "did you go to (fill in the blank) faire?" without realizing that I was working there. Albeit, I don't have the time to work many events, but only some people get that I have an act. example copy of a broadside ballad I'm the person that sells the song lyrics, using melodies familiar to the people. Medieval Fair of Norman, Last Huzzah! (3/29/2015) Most fairs have eight hour days, and during that time, I'm among the people playing sets at ground level about half of that time or more. Mostly, I get tips. I have some CDs for those who actually want a recording, and I sell chapbooks, or "cheap books" that would have been made by folding several broadside ballads together. Today, you might call them paperbacks. Most full time faire acts are stage acts for the simple reason that they are a commodity. You get x number of units of entertainment per day for y amount of money. Also, when people sit in an area at a crowded fair, they are not clogging the traffic flow elsewhere. I makes sense to book your biggest draws during the busiest times. Yes, I occasionally perform on stage when a fair needs filler, but I prefer to work without a stage for a couple of reasons. First of all, if the people don't come to me, I take the music to them. Second, I get better tips when I put myself where the action is. And... mobility allows me to see the people and sights of the faire. I would much prefer to play in an open air food court where people are gong to be looking for a place to sit and eat than up on a stage in the corner of nowhere. No one has thrown their food at me yet. |