The running theme for the year thus far seems to be to teach me to ask for help. I’ve never been the type of person to ask for help, it’s always been a challenge for me to do so. I’d always plan on doing something and tell people that if they wanted to join in they were free but it wouldn’t evolve to the point of asking anyone for anything. I can’t really point a finger on when this change occurred or started to develop but the past six months now has been a lesson in asking.
First off I started an undertaking in getting healthier, there have been good days, and some not so good days along the journey and I’m slowly learning things that I knew but never accepted before and am still working on bettering myself and overcoming obstacles along the way.
Part of that journey led to me to participate in the Tour de Cure bike ride for the American Diabetes Association. Not having ever done anything of the sort I found that money needed to be raised in order for you to participate in the ride. So thus began the task of asking for help from others to support me in the ride, which I did and some amazing folks took up the cause and helped me raise the funds to ride in an unbelievable experience.
There have been numerous other things along the way, such as asking for time from others to watch the kids while I work on costume pieces for people.
Now the next adventure has begun. I’ve loved theatre and performing from the moment I stepped in front of a classroom and did a monologue. I still remember being in 6th grade and we got to do Tom Sawyer for our yearly production. After that production sports took a greater hold and focus in my life and it wasn’t until I hurt my knee and decided to quit football shortly afterwards that I took theatre seriously. Learning about acting and stage craft has opened many doors and taken me to some amazing places and I’ll forever be in debt to some of those amazing people I’ve learned from along the way. When I started out doing seriously doing theatre I said there were three roles that I would want to do before I would say I’ve had enough. Those three roles are: 1) Captain Hook in Peter Pan, 2) Lennie Smalls in Of Mice and Men, 3) Little John in Robin Hood. Thus far I've had the honor of doing two out of those three.
A little over 4 years ago a man I had worked on a film with named Luis Rosa took a chance against what many people had expected and asked me to be Little John for the Robin Hood show he was planning on bringing back to the Renaissance Festival. I, of course, said yes. The first year there were three of us; Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, and myself. We had a good year with a few learning bumps along the way. The second year our Friar Tuck left and we re-did the show for just Robin Hood and Little John and we officially welcomed a new member in Will Scarlet. Last year we added two additional members in Much the Millers Son and Winter Scarlet and gently incorporated them into the show. This 4th year has found me taking more responsibility with the group and we’re working on two different shows. One show with Will, Winter and Much and some tweaks to the Robin Hood and Little John show. There are greater plans that lie in our future and hopefully those plans will be built upon as they have the previous years into something new and exciting in the upcoming years.
Part of the process of getting a new show up and running is our show props, what you could call weapons. While yes, these are weapons in a sense, they are what makes the show be the show that you see. To me, there is something magnificent and almost romantic about the ring of steel on steel and that distinctive twang you hear that just isn’t duplicated with wood or other objects. It resonates and grabs your attention and draws you into the sound. With that being said, we’re all at the mercy of our lives, be it children, wedding planning, job searching, school, and life in general it’s difficult to find the means to fund those things we need.
After some discussion and research we decided to start a kickstarter program in an attempt to gain some help in funding those items so that we can continue to bring forth our plans to entertain as many people as we can and see the new Robin Hoods Merry men show and future projects brought to life. Working at the Renaissance Festival doesn’t pay for much beyond gas and what we can buy in materials to build our own costumes, when we ask for a hat pass that’s our true income. I’ve done shows with cuts, concussions, and aches and pains that I haven’t had since football because I enjoy entertaining the audience and the children’s laughter and smiles we get from each show. I truly love that and it brings me incredible joy to be able to be a part of something that I remember seeing as a child and can only hope to pass that passion onto someone else.
That being said, I ask you from the bottom of my heart to take a few moments and look at our kickstarter campaign and become one of our backers. There are some truly, in my opinion, great offerings for those people who become a backer of our campaign.
Finally, and most importantly thank you from the bottom of my heart for each of you that have taken in one our shows for helping bring a dream of mine to life.
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