Commedia dell' Arte, Renaissance-style

Just thinking about a Renaissance festival brings to mind the tantalizing aroma of roasting turkey legs, a vision of extravagantly beaded gowns and fine velvet doublets, browsing quaint shops lined with handcrafted treasures, and colorful street vendors hawking their wares. But what festival day is complete without a visit to the ministers of mirth?

Most patrons attend at least one or two shows during the course of a one-day visit to a faire. Some patrons attend more. And there are even a few loyal souls who travel from faire to faire in order to see their favorite actors hamming it again.

What is it about these shows? How do these performers continue to pack their audiences, drawing fans from across the country to attend any faire for which they perform? I decided to find out by interviewing a few of my favorite Renaissance comedians.

Most of the performers I interviewed began their Renaissance careers as street actors, emerging only a year to two later as popular stage acts using the characters formed during their street-acting years. From such humble beginnings these four award-winning acts have made names for themselves that are known throughout the circuit as high-quality, laugh-until-your-belly-aches entertainment.

Just Mucking Around

left: The Wyldmen, Jonathan Crocker, left, pulling Doug Mumaw out of the mud.

One of the most popular shows at any Renaissance faire is the mud show. At the Arizona Renaissance Festival, The Wyldmen Show brings a decidedly different twist to the traditional splash-and-thrash-in-the-mud show, adding a bit of somewhat dubious history, a dash of intellect, some slow-motion fights, a magical disappearing act, and head-to-toe mud.

The performance begins in the present-day with Seth, Dr. Cranius Lunch and Toad (performed by Doug Mumaw, Jonathan Crocker and Simon Jaeger respectively) representing members of the fictional Fairhaven Historical Guild. Rather than present a lecture, Dr. Cranius proposes to take the audience back in time 5,000 years to witness a meeting of 'Civilized Man' and 'Wyldman'. To set the mood, Toad provides a percussive accompaniment using bones, bells, and sticks, as well as the set's walls.

When Mumaw first began doing The Wyldmen Show, there was some concern that it would be too intellectual and complicated for an easily distracted Renaissance audience. But the idea of playing mud scholars versus mud beggars gave the show a new dimension; one that Mumaw says plays a large factor in the show's success.

"Today's Renaissance faire audiences consist more of extended families," said Mumaw. "I build shows by the Grandma factor. My show has to be funny to your Grandma. ... You have to make the show funny to all age groups. So you have to write a script that will sometimes zing right over the heads of the kids into the brains of adults. Then you need to be able to lightly float a joke right over the heads of the parents right into the heads of the kids. So the kids get stuff the parents don't."

If Mumaw knows his audience, he knows acting and sword fighting even bet ter. He studied theater at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., and has performed in theaters and at Renaissance faires across the country for many years. Accredited in 1983 by the Society for American Fight Directors, Mumaw choreographs and writes many of the scripts and fight scenes for The Wyldmen and The Swordsmen shows.

Another of Mumaw's creations, The Swordsmen, is a display of gentlemanly behavior and swordplay featuring himself as Dirk Perfect with his comrade David Woolley playing Guido Crescendo. The Wyldmen Show plays only at the Arizona Renaissance Festival; however, you can catch Mumaw's Swordsmen show at the Virginia, Bristol and Ohio Renaissance Faires. For more information, visit http://www.theswordsmen.com.Crocker also performs with Theater in the Ground, a traditional mud show.

Deadly Duo

right: Dead Bob and Smuj, Clark Orwick.

One of my personal favorites is The Ded Bob Show. Anyone who has been "bobmotized" can tell you this is one unforgettable experience. Hosted by Ded Bob, a skeleton with an attitude, and his "dummy," Smuj, this comedy show is one of a kind.

With its not-so-subtle adult humor, the Ded Bob show appeals to a more mature audience. A nobleman hung for a crime he did not commit, Ded Bob continues to inhabit his skeletal frame, the better to haunt--and taunt--his audience. Clark Orwick, creator of the Ded Bob show, plays the part of Smuj, the faceless ventriloquist and loyal assistant to Ded Bob. Orwick uses his anonymity to force the audience's attention to the life-size skeleton hand puppet he carries.

"I started out doing this as a street character at the Maryland Renaissance Faire in 1987," said Orwick. "The whole thing happened kind of by accident. Ded Bob was originally a prop we used in another show. I replaced its foam head with a skull used in a Hamlet parody production."

The effect was comical enough for the faire director to invite Orwick to play the village idiot in Maryland that year. He brought the puppet, named Sir Robert Percival at that time, planning to use it to play off of his own conversation. But as patrons began to enter the faire on the first day, Orwick panicked at the thought of keeping two voices and characters going at one time.

"I ran off and my burlap hood fell over my face," recounts Orwick, laughing at his own recollection. "I suddenly realized that if my face was covered, I could disappear and the puppet would be the character. At first he had a high, clownish voice which quickly strained my vocal cords. I spoke mainly to children."

On the second day of the faire, fate took a hand. A young boy came in with his stunning, young mother who was dressed in very short shorts. Orwick's voice dropped two octaves and in a lewd tone he asked her, "Hey! Where ya been all my death?" And so Ded Bob was born.

Twelve years later, Ded Bob's randy heart and smart attitude lure fans back again and again, usually dragging friends and family with them, eager to watch them become "bobmotized."

"I use the audience a lot," said Orwick. "I discovered pretty quickly that the more you get the audience involved--where they actually have to do stuff--you keep their attention which is important because there are so many things going on at the faire. You really have to keep them there, keep them focused or you lose them."

Staged in the manner of a television game show, Ded Bob insists that his audience follow three simple rules: "pay attention, respond when requested, and respond ONLY when requested." Rule breakers are "bobmotized," brought up on stage, and toyed with mercilessly until the entire audience is roaring with laughter and finally "bobmotized" themselves.

You can catch the Ded Bob show this year at the Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Texas Renaissance Festivals.

Move Over, Errol Flynn

left: Don Juan and Miguel, Jose Granados (right) and Doug Konziolka (left)

The Don Juan and Miguel Show, performed by Jose Granados and Doug Kondziolka, is an interactive, character-based comedy that captures its audience with daring stunts and skillful swordplay.

On the circuit for 20 years now, The Don Juan and Miguel Show started out as two street characters. At that time, Granados was vice president and choreographer of a sword-fighting company called the Ring of Steel and had adopted the role of Don Juan, based roughly on the character played by Errol Flynn in 1949. Kondziolka was hired to play Miguel, Don Juan's manservant. By the second year Granados and Kondziolka were given a stage. And although the show has been developed and refined over the years, it has remained an audience favorite year after year.

Granados and Kondziolka believe that The Don Juan and Miguel Show is still successful because it is so fresh. Improv plays an important role in the act. The actors incorporate comments from the audience into the program, ensuring that no two shows are ever alike.

"We never rehearse because that makes the show stiff," said Granados. "I like to just get up there and let the show develop onstage. Too much rehearsing takes away the spontaneity. The only part we rehearse is the technical stuff--the whip and sword fighting."

Between shows, Granados and Kondziokla get out on the street to mingle with the patrons, making themselves and their act known, thus increasing traffic at their shows. And they have a ball doing it.

Aside from acting, Kondziolka, who has a degree in psychology and sociology, also teaches interactive, improv and character development seminars at faires around the country. He believes his schooling helps him read the audience to determine what they will find funniest. He and Granados have also been investing in large exhibits such as a maze, an archery game and a dungeon museum displaying gruesome instruments of torture.

"We developed the games to create supplemental income for us in case we decide to reduce the number of faires for which we perform," explains Granados, whose earliest goal was to become an actor. "This Renaissance festival thing happened by accident. I wanted to stay focused on my modeling and theater acting but the festival work became so big, we got caught up, like in a whirlwind. The demand for our show swept us away, and the money became very good. Now we can't leave it," he laughs. "After 20 years as a performer, my mother still asks me 'when I am going to get a real job.'"

Granados jokes, but says his family is very supportive of his career choice. He met his wife, an artist, on the circuit and their daughter was born during the run of the Colorado Renaissance Faire 12 years ago. In fact, Granados' daughter, already an expert with a whip, frequently performs with the show.

Catch them at the Scarborough Faire, Sterling, Arizona, Michigan, and Carolina Renaissance Festivals. For more detail, visit www.donjuanandmiguel.com.www.donjuanandmiguel.com.

Shakespeare on a Shingle

right: Hal Evan of Shakespeare on a Shingle

Evan and Bottom, self-proclaimed "players well-bestowed," (performers Hal Evans and Chris Eldridge) bring the works of "Willy-Nilly Shakespeare" to life.

This interactive Shakespeare parody show mixes slapstick humor with an intellectual dose of literature that appeals to a wide cross-section of Renaissance faire patrons.

While Shakespeare parodies are not an unusual form of entertainment found at Renaissance faires, Shakespeare on a Shingle is ingenious enough to do even the Bard himself proud. The script Evans wrote for his first foray into parody incorporated lines from all 39 of Shakespeare's plays. His later works include such titles as "Rodeo and Juliet," "Dueling Hamlets," "Orange Julius Caesar," and my favorite, "The Shaming of the True."

Even more amusing are the troupe's celebrity impersonations. Have you ever wondered how Kathryn Hepburn would portray Juliet? What Robert De Niro would be like as Hamlet? Sean Connery as Mercutio? Evan and Bottom warm up the crowd by inviting requests. With a repertoire of more than 100 popular impersonations, the parodying partners draw the audience into a participatory mood, then haul a few willing souls up on stage.

Other ruses the troupe uses to ignite interest are "Cite This One Buddy," a contest in which Evans throws out quotes until he stumps the crowd, and "Bum's Rush," an aerobic exercise during which participants must determine whose butt cheeks are the fastest.

The show is reasonably new on the circuit, coming into its own as a Shakespeare parodying act in 1993. Evans was performing as a storyteller when he came up with the notion for Shakespeare on a Shingle. He gave shape to his idea the last weekend of the Texas Renaissance Festival and, despite the lack of advertising, drew in a substantial crowd.

Evans frequently adds to and revises his shows to keep them fresh and up-to-date. New scripts and different games give the show a dynamic edge. In 1999, he will introduce a skit titled "Truly, Madly, Greekly," where Shakespeare's Roman and Greek plays meet the story line from the movie Ghost.

There is more to Shakespeare on a Shingle than meets the ear, though. Mock rapier combat, men dressed as women in true 16th century theatrical tradition, song and dance sprinkled with innuendo, and scenes of mortal death all compel the audience's attention.

Shakespeare on a Shingle is scheduled to appear this year at the Norman Medieval and Hawkwood Fantasy Faires. Renaissance faire performances are only one of Evans' theatrical outlets. He has appeared in more than 100 television commercials.

Visit http://www.angelfire.com/tx/Shakespeare101/ for more information.

What Does it Take to Become a Festival Comedian?

There is money to be made as a Renaissance faire performer, but it takes a lot of time and effort to fully develop the characters, plot and following necessary to exchange your pass-the-hat street show for a stage show and daily retainer. The adage that actors must pay their dues and take their knocks before reaping any true monetary rewards is as true on the Renaissance circuit as in theater and television.

Performing at a Renaissance faire holds its own unique challenges and advantages for aspiring thespians. It is a "make it or break it" forum where competition for stage space can be tough, living conditions are typically rough, and travel is mandatory. On the other hand, it is also a venue ripe with opportunity for someone with little or no experience but a lot of brass and raw talent to make a name for himself--or herself--in a fairly short time.

"Even today's hottest shows will eventually be replaced with younger actors and fresher ideas," claims Granados. "There is a lot of opportunity out there for new performers because we are all getting old, our shows are getting old. In the last 10 years there have been only one or two big shows that have taken hold and become national acts."

Granados warns, however, that many new performers who have a lot of technical skill may lack the most important ingredient for success--the ability to sell themselves to the audience in a personable manner. "Develop one-on-one techniques with an audience and keep plugging at it," he advises.

"Performers have to understand the beat of comedy, learn the rhythm of the crowd," said Evans. "If a joke is falling flat, take it out, even if it's your favorite. But don't worry if every person does not get every joke," he adds. "The right people will get the right jokes."

Keep your show fresh, involve the audience, and, as Kondziolka advises, "Stay away from the rude stuff. It takes an intense amount of skill to do that."

Last, but never least, an indomitable spirit is a must. New performers are apt to get discouraged easily, forgetting that a good attitude is the key to success. The most popular shows were created by actors who had learned from their failures.

"A Renaissance faire is the perfect place to start any type of performing career," says Orwick. "It is very forgiving, a great place to fail. It's a great place to do something that doesn't work and then try something else. Plus, it's a great community of people and you can see a style of performing there that you won't see anywhere else."

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This page was last updated Tuesday, 27-May-2003 13:20:34 EDT