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Dickens Christmas Fair 2006 October Missive #4 - Workshops!
(sent October 27th, 2006)


The big workshop missive is once again here a whole week before the workshops!

There will be more information next week, but this will get you started. The workshop and rehearsal schedule for the first two weekends and workshop descriptions are attached as .pdf ("portable document format") files, which can be opened with the free and downloadable Adobe Acrobat Reader. Remember to chose "landscape" if you print the schedule. The printed copies handed out at workshops will be black and white as color printing is much more expensive when doing hundreds of copies. I have also attached the tentative schedule for the third weekend at the Cow Palace, so you can see what workshops will and will not be offered on that Saturday.

Please note: Since life often happens without consulting me, there may be changes between now things actually happen. I will endeavor to keep you updated on any and all changes should they occur, but please check in at Area 51 (see below) for posted changes.

New This Year:
Surrey Blackburn is teaching this year's folklore workshop, and we have three new workshops:
"Dickens and the Real London" taught by Robert Young
"Scandals of the Period" taught by Hilary Ayer and Emily Gladstone Cole
"Cruel Brittannia: Crime & Punishment in Victorian England" taught by Peter Overstreet

The first two weekends of workshops will once again be held at the Ingrid B. Lacy Middle School in Pacifica.
Please remember to tidy up after yourselves, the school is very gracious in letting us use their facility, let's make sure they get it back nicer than we found it. (Can you tell I was a Girl Scout?)  The third weekend of workshops will be held at the Cow Palace, with classes on Saturday only; Sunday will be a dress rehearsal.

Note: The rooms at the school will be numbered as on the schedule, allowing us to pick the most appropriate classrooms for classes with specific needs.
Please help the teachers adjust the furniture and put it back in it's appropriate place.


Dickens Christmas Fair Workshop Weekends #1&2
November 4th and 5th, 11th,12th
Saturday & Sunday 10:00-5:30
Ingrid B. Lacy Middle School
1427 Palmetta Ave.
Pacifica, CA 94044

Workshop Weekend#3/Dress Rehearsal
at the Cow Palace, San Francisco
Geneva Avenue and Santos Street, San Francisco, CA
Sat. November 18th 10:00-6:00 - Workshops & Rehearsals, schedule TBA
Sun. November 19th 10:00-7:00 - Dress Rehearsal, schedule TBA, no workshops


In This Missive:
Area 51
The Morning Meeting!
Parking Passes & Participant Tickets
The Bijou Café is Back!
Special Note on the Dark Garden Workshops
The Requirements
I'm New - What Do I Do?


Area 51
Tom Westlake will once again be manning Area 51, our affectionate name for our registration office located in the multi-purpose room. This is where you will pick up your paperwork, pay your fees, buy Cow Palace parking passes and participant tickets (see below). Cash or check only at workshops, we won't have a credit card machine. Don't forget the jelly beans....


The Morning Meeting!
The beginning of workshops, first day morning meeting is always a lot of fun and a little crazy. It will be in the multi-purpose room at 10:00AM Saturday November 5th and will take the place of the first workshop period. There will also be a big meeting at 10:00AM on dress rehearsal day at the Cow Palace. Your attendance is seriously requested at both of these meetings.


Parking Passes & Participant Tickets
Yes, Virginia, just like everything to do with cars, the parking passes have gone up slightly in price this year. The Cow Palace has raised the daily parking price to $8.00 this year, but thanks to Red Barn Productions, a parking pass for the whole run of Dickens Fair will cost we, the participants only $40.00 for ten days. That's a pretty great deal. Participant tickets will once again be $13.00.


The Bijou Café is Back!
Ladies and Gentlemen, you asked for it and you got it!  The Bijou Café, with it's lovely high kicking servers, and our man Joe, will be selling breakfast and lunch for BOTH workshop weekends in Pacifica! We will be serving breakfast and lunch as well as yummy home baked treats. We will also be serving hot and cold beverages all day.


Special Note on the Dark Garden Workshops
This workshop is only offered once, during the second workshop period, right after the morning meeting. You must take the class if you wish to pose in the Dark Garden window. If you are new  to Dickens London, Dark Garden is our beloved corsetry shop, where lovely ladies (and sometimes gentlemen) model corsets in an educational, entertaining and very tasteful way. This year they will also be offering a separate corset lacing workshop, also only on the first day of workshops.


The Requirements
#1 A completed registration form which includes:
#2 Your director's or booth owner's signature
#3 Costume Approval from the official costume department
#4 Sign off's from three workshop teachers
#5 The $10.00 registration fee. (We accept checks, but cannot accept credit cards at Area 51 as we won't have a credit card terminal there. )

New Folks
New folks are required to take Orientation plus either Victorian or Cockney language and Physical Characterization (also one of the Character Labs if possible) Please note that Physical Characterization is a prerequisite for the Character Labs (Character Lab  and Character 3D). Please do not try and take the labs if you haven't yet take the Physical Characterization workshop.

Dickens Fair Veterans
Dickens Fair Veterans please take either Victorian or Cockney language, either Physical Characterization or Character Lab, (preferably both, as they work as a set this year) and another workshop of your choice. Please note that Physical Characterization is a prerequisite for the Character Labs (Character Lab  and Character 3D). Please do not try and take the labs if you haven't yet take the Physical Characterization workshop.

Note: Some classes can only accept a limited number of people at one time in order to functionally teach their class. Please arrive at that class early if that is the only time you can take it. If any of the teachers turn you away because their class is  full, please do not argue, but come back at another time.

We encourage you to take as many workshops as possible, they are meant to be both fun and educational and will help you make your way more credibly and enjoyably through the streets of our London.

I know it may seem like old hat to some of you, but to have a real ensemble cast, we all need to work together and remember that we really are creating our version of Victorian England and should be representing our characters *ALL THE TIME* when in front of the audience. Workshops are the best way to make that happen and we are offering some new ones to keep it interesting.


I'm New - What Do I Do?
Come to the morning meeting on November 4th, where all of the workshop teachers and directors will be introduced. Some of the directors will still be looking for people, they will announce whether they are. Read the missives and look for groups that interest you. You must be part of a group to work at the Fair, whether it's caroling, dancing at Fezziwig's or being a Dickens character. Don't be shy, ask questions of the directors and see if it's what you want to do and might be good at.





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


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