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Dickens Christmas Fair 2005 October Missive #3
(sent October 20, 2005)

Hello everyone,

Just a quick missive today. I'm working on the schedule and descriptions for the first two workshop/rehearsal weekends in Pacifica and will get them out to you just as soon as I have it all confirmed with the teachers and directors.

Cat

In This Missive:
More Dickens Websites
Naughty French Postcards Needs Photos
Scotland Needs Men!
A Missive from the Costume Department...


More Dickens Websites
Two more great onilne Dickens sites to join http://www.fidnet.com/%7Edap1955/dickens/

http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/ (beware the pop-ups)
http://humwww.ucsc.edu/dickens/index.html

Remember past missives can be found at http://dickensfair.com/missives.htm


Naughty French Postcards Needs Photos
We would love to have photos of the past French Postcards show, especially any with a good view of the scrim, which we are trying to recreate. Please email .jpgs (not too large please) to Diana Young at <dgbyoung@aol.com>


Scotland Needs Men!
The To-Be-Named-At-A-Later-Date Theatre Company is Casting for it's Dickens Christmas production of Shakespeare's "Macbeth", to be performed in that manner peculiar to the Victorians.

Many roles are still open, all experiences levels are needed.  Low pay, odd hours, chances of survival are small.

Please contact Paul (jettman@mindspring.com) for more information.


A Missive from the Costume Department...
This year will see many new exciting and promising changes to the Dickens Fair. Among such changes will be the addition of a costume director to the fold. Alexandria Volk will be joining Kathy Kingman in the Costume Department as a member of the directorial event staff.
 
You can expect to see both Kathy and Alexandria at workshops;

Kathy is the Costume Designer for the Dickens Faire. She is responsible for the overall look of the faire and is the person to come to if you have a major request for a change in your costume look. If your show is in need of a costume that does not exist in the costume inventory, Kathy is the person to go to, to make that request. Kathy will be doing costume approval at workshops and will be attending to the Administration side of it all. For administration sake and to cut down on confusion Kathy will still be picking up the e-mail from costumes@redbarnproductions.org and will forward any e-mails for Alexandria.

Alexandria is the Costume Director for Dickens Faire. She will be running workshops and will be the mistress (and go-to person) of the costume shop during the event. She is also the person to speak to about hand props for shows. Please put in your request early. If you need a prop for a show she needs time to get it for you (meaning days not hours) get your request in now! She is also the person to come to if you are a character in any of the stage shows or street pageants during the show. This little lady has a lot to do in a little time. Please be considerate to her and get any prop request in to her in a timely fashion.

Welcome again Alexandria!


Rummage Sale!!
Last year's was heralded as a great success!  This year I hope to have even more participation from sellers. D'lyns will be back with their fabulous goodies (think inexpensive hats and colorful crinolines) and individual sellers have already come forward with wares to vend. If you are interested in participating in the rummage sale please drop a
line to costumes@redbarnproductions.org I need to know how large a spot I need to stake out. If you plan to sell please plan on bringing a sheet or other protective item to lay on the floor. People made good money last year
and word got out. There will be far more who are interested in selling this year. Please keep your sale items to clothing, accessories and notions from the VICTORIAN era.

The rummage sale will take place on first weekend of workshops beginning right after the morning meeting on Saturday and after the first workshop on Sunday. It will end each day when there is not enough interest to keep
going. D'Lyns will probably be back on the second weekend to continue the sale.  Those who are interested in selling may send me a blurb to advertise what they have available. I will include it in the next missive. Send rummage sale info to costumes@redbarnproductions.org

Thank you all so much from the bottom of my little costume designer heart,

Kathy Kingman


A Word from the Director of Costumes- Alexandria Volk Regarding Sewing Circles
Hello to all, and welcome to the busy fall costume season. It's October, which means All Hallow's Eve is upon us, which means that workshops and Dickens Faire cannot be far behind. Would you like to get your Dickens sewing and mending done early this year? Perhaps "done at all" is a more accurate phrase - this _could_ be the year when things aren't held together by an oh-so-period safety pin... not that costumes could survive without safety pins... and duct tape... and electric sewing machines... but I
digress.

Sewing circles are now forming. Whether you just want to fix that trouser hem once and for all are embarking on your first big project or your twenty-ninth, your company is most humbly solicited. Guidance and sewing mentorship dispensed if desired. Sewing circle is also the time to ask for early OK's on fabric choices, colors, and accessories. (Don't worry, you can still use your costume as a ruse to escape the hubbub of Thanksgiving or any other distraction - we won't tell that you actually got your jacket done before workshops even started...) If enough people are interested in the same topics, we can also have demonstrations of techniques and helpful sewing and designing practices. Cartridge pleating a skirt, anyone? How to custom-fit a corset pattern using a muslin? Millinery tips and tricks?

Please contact Alexandria Volk, in the costume department at costumes@redbarnproductions.org with availability and interest. We are also looking for a place to hold the circle if more than three or four people respond. Schedule to follow in the next missive - get your availability requests in ASAP if your life is a bit pressed for time - as I believe everyone's is.

The sewing circles are absolutely free, offered by me because I enjoy sharing sewing and other needlecrafts with others and because I am just a bit optimistic that this could be the best Dickens Faire ever held - and because I tend to stay on task longer if others are also working on similar things - conversation lightens that most tedious of tasks. There will be a jar to cover the expense of snacks and a pot of tea. Sewing is hard work, after all.

Most sincere and festive greetings to all!
Alexandria




To sign up for the missives, please email missives@redbarnproductions.org, and request to be added to the missive list.


Link to Cat Taylor's Homepage