In all Faireness

by Rik Fox

This is the time period that the Royal Spanish Court reenacts in elaborate and extravagant fashion for Renaissance Faires in California. Scott and Laura Gleason formed the nucleus of the guild in 1989 after they attended the Golden West College Faire dressed in Castilian fashion. Scott and Laura were introduced as Antonio, the Duke of Castile and his noble Mistress, however onlookers insisted, "Look, it's the Spaniards." After discussions with other faire friends they decided to start a guild. Their research showed that even though most Renaissance guilds were based in California where Spanish influence is seen everywhere, there were no Spanish guilds at any of the faires.

The group soon attracted Nathan Willard who played the Spanish pirate, Don Juan. Willard, who also acts as the group's publicist and stage choreographer, came to them from another guild, The Brethren of the Coast Pirates. (See related article from our last issue) "I was eventually coerced to come over and join," Willard winks as he tells it, "It seemed the only way to recover all the jewelry that Laura heisted from me treasure." Along with Willard, several other pirates Ôjumped ship' and joined the Spanish Guild. "This did not please Captain Jamie Bellows of the Brethren of the Coast," Willard said. "But people come and people go." Eventually the Brethren found more pirates. The Spanish Guild also began to grow in 1991, and in 1992 emerged "like the Phoenix rising from her ashes."

At the San Marcos Faire, the guild was renamed The Spanish Armada and was presented to the faire world complete with a full-scale Spanish fortress built by Nathan Willard. "Well, it wasn't exactly full-scale," Laura Gleason said. "But it was big enough to hold a crowd and it was really impressive. Potential members began flocking in from many other guilds to join us. I mean, why be an average member of another group when you can be Spanish nobility! It's more exciting."

After Tom Wilson founded Crossroads Renaissance Productions and began booking faires throughout Southern California, he looked around for a truly spectacular court. Wilson and Willard met and the group was renamed a third and final time, making them officially the "Royal Spanish Court." Willard's character, the pirate Don Juan is now Don Juan of Austria, brother to King Philip of Spain. Scott Gleason plays King Philip II and Laura is Queen Elizabeth de Valois, daughter of Isabella. Gleason gouged his savings account to buy a massive pavilion for the group and they all researched like mad to make sure that their portrayals were superb in every detail.

With all the key players in place, they formed a Privy Council to keep the group running effectively and delegate the duties of the other members. Scott Gleason expressed the philosophy of the guild, "Everyone has an important job within the group, and it is founded on democratic principals. Every move is voted on within the group, every detail. Potential members join on a two-faire-trial basis, so their interactions and performances are observed by all the other group members. Then we all meet and vote on whether the new members would benefit the group. This makes for a professionally run organization. The devotion this group shows, I have yet to see anywhere else."

Most, if not all of the props you see at the Spanish Court Encampment were either bought or made by the members and donated to the group. The members also donate large amounts of time to the guild. Willard acts as the public relations officer and handles all the group bookings and personal appearances. As stunt choreographer he directs the group's stage show. He was a knight at the Medieval Times restaurant that was seen in the movie The Cable Guy.

In 1995, some of the members began fencing with the children who visited the Spanish encampment with their parents. They put the kids in protective gear and taught them the basic moves. The idea caught on immediately and spread like wildfire. As soon as the faire opens, dozens of kids make a bee-line straight to the Spanish encampment to swordplay with guild members. This continues all day with the members taking rotating shifts just to keep up with the youngsters. Parents are invited into the shade of the pavilion, offered food and drink, and an opportunity to visit with the King and his nobles. The children always win, and step forward to be awarded a ' Faire Favor' ribbon for 'beating' a court member.

The many years of friendship has succeeded in forming a root-bond within the Royal Spanish Court. "It's actually more like a real family," Laura says, "and everyone looks out for each other. No one commits anyone to anything without checking with the others first. Of cousrse, key member's characters are well established and literally impossible to replace but there are over 30 members in the guild now. Those that are not portraying the main roles stillfill important supporting roles in the group like the Mistress of the Keep, who oversees food preparation, the Captain of the Guard, the pavilion decorators, the night-time camp sentries and the ale masters."

All members research, introduce, and establish their characters, pending a group vote. This insures a balanced mix of skills. The Spanish Court also puts out a newsletter and now hosts a website. E-mail them at royal-spanish-court@usa.net for the page address.

If you are interested in learning more about them, or joining the group, contact them by mail or e-mail at the address below. The Court is available for corporate, private, and charity functions.

The Royal Spanish Court is now a recognized, professional, historical reenactment guild of Southern California, and respected by fellow faire performance guilds for their work with Crossroads Renaissance Productions. All are invited and encouraged to visit their encampment where they can meet the King and Queen and dine with their courtiers. The members of the Spanish Court focus on public visitors, and are always willing to to educate young and old about early Spanish European and New World history. Tourists visiting from Spain rejoice in seeing the Spanish Court encampment, and thank them for representing that part of their historical achievements.

Now, like the early explorers from Spain, the Royal Spanish Court is leaving its mark on the world. They will be performing weekends at Lake Irvine, California, October 18 trhough November 2 1997. Come by and visit, tell them you heard about them in Chivalry Sports Renaissance Magazine, Have fun and become one with Spain. Viva Espania! Bravo!

All correspondence should go to:
The Royal Spanish Court
6049 Faculty Ave.
Lakewood, CA 90712.
email: royal-spanish-court@usa.net

About the Author: Rik Fox, a member of the Spanish Court, portrays a knight-errant-ambassador from Poland residing in Spain. His title is "Chevalier Don Ryszard de Lis, Prince de Sulima, of Lechistan." Rik wrote an article for us on the Brethren of the Coast, a pirate guild that he also belongs to. Rik is a die-hard fan of Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power movies, which is evident in the stage show.

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This page was last updated Tuesday, 27-May-2003 13:21:23 EDT