Official Dickens Fair
Performer Page
Official
Dickens Fair Missive Page
Back to Dickens
Christmas Fair Backup Performer Missive Page
Where To Start If You'd Like
To Work At The Dickens Fair
Hello Dickens Fair performers and aspiring performers! This is
where you find out more about performing at the Great Dickens Christmas
Fair!
The Dickens Christmas Fair is a wonderful performing environment. We
combine the magic of the traditional holiday season, with the writings
of Charles Dickens and the rich tapestry of Victorian England to create
a very potent and vital theatrical event. It’s a combination of stage
acting (and music) and improvisational acting, always involving the
audience in what you’re doing and encouraging them to feel part of the
show Even if you’re just walking off to get lunch, you are your
Victorian character walking off to get lunch, which is what makes our
event such an involving one. We are an ensemble cast and all rely on
each other to create a great show.
If you'd like to become part of this thriving theatrical environment,
you need to belong to a stage show or performing troupe, or work in a
booth or an ale stand. This page focuses on what you need to do to
become a performer.
Some people perform in stage shows, some portray Dickens characters or
historical personages in the streets of our London, or in environmental
areas. All become a person from the Victorian age, with the clothing,
language and personality of someone from that era. Since Queen Victoria
reigned for over sixty years, we have chosen the 1860's as our
historical focus.
Here's a little background:
Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria was born at Kensington Palace,
London, on 24 May 1819. She was the only daughter of Edward, Duke of
Kent, fourth son of George III. Warmhearted and lively, Victoria had a
gift for drawing and painting; educated by a governess at home, she was
a natural diarist and kept a regular journal throughout her life. On
William IV's death in 1837, she became Queen at the age of 18.
In the early part of her reign, she was influenced by two men: her
first Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, and her husband, Prince Albert,
whom she married in 1840. Both men taught her much about how to be a
ruler in a 'constitutional monarchy' where the monarch had very few
powers but could use much influence. Albert took an active interest in
the arts, science, trade and industry; the project for which he is best
remembered was the Great Exhibition of 1851, the profits from which
helped to establish the South Kensington museums complex in London.
Her marriage to Prince Albert brought nine children between 1840 and
1857. Most of their children married into other Royal families of
Europe. Victoria was deeply attached to her husband and she sank into
depression after he died, aged 42, in 1861. She had lost a devoted
husband and her principal trusted adviser in affairs of state. For the
rest of her reign she wore black.
Under the rule of Queen Victoria, the British people enjoyed a long
period of prosperity. Profits gained from the overseas British Empire,
as well as from industrial improvements at home, allowed a large,
educated middle class to develop. The period is often characterized as
a long period of peace, known as Pax Britannica, and economic,
colonial, and industrial consolidation, but the price was that Britain
was at war during most of Victoria’s reign.
Despite her advancing age, Victoria continued her duties to the end -
including an official visit to Dublin in 1900. The Boer War in South
Africa overshadowed the end of her reign. As in the Crimean War nearly
half a century earlier, Victoria reviewed her troops and visited
hospitals; she remained undaunted by British reverses during the
campaign: “We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat; they
do not exist.”
Queen Victoria is associated with Britain's great age of industrial
expansion, economic progress and, especially, empire. At her death on
January 22, 1901, it was said, Britain had a worldwide empire on which
the sun never set. She was buried at Windsor Palace beside Prince
Albert, in the Frogmore Royal Mausoleum, which she had built for their
final resting place.
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page118.asp
http://www.english.uwosh.edu/roth/VictorianEngland.htm
http://www.victorianweb.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era
Charles
Dickens
Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth on
February 7, 1812, the son of a clerk at the Navy Pay Office. His
father, John Dickens, continually living beyond his means, was
imprisoned for debt, along with his wife and most of their children, in
the Marshalsea in 1824. 12-year-old Charles was removed from school and
sent to work at a boot-blacking (shoe dye) factory, earning six
shillings a week to help support the family. This dark experience cast
a shadow over the clever, sensitive boy that became a defining
experience in his life. He would later write that he wondered "how I
could have been so easily cast away at such an age". This childhood
poverty and feelings of abandonment, although unknown to his readers
until after his death, would be a heavy influence on Dickens' later
views on social reform and the world he would create through his
fiction.
After his father received a small inheritance, Charles was able to
return to school for a short time and at 15 he became a clerk in a
solicitor's office, then a shorthand reporter in the lawcourts (thus
gaining a knowledge of the legal world often used in the novels), and
finally, a parliamentary and newspaper reporter. These years left him
with a lasting affection for journalism and contempt both for the law
and for Parliament.
In 1833 Dickens began contributing stories and descriptive essays to
magazines and newspapers which were reprinted as Sketches by “Boz” in
February of 1836. The same month, he was invited to provide a comic
serial narrative to accompany engravings by a well-known artist and
seven weeks later the first installment of “Pickwick Papers” appeared.
Within a few months Pickwick was the rage and Dickens was soon the most
popular author of the day. He resigned his newspaper job and
undertook to edit a monthly magazine, Bentley's Miscellany, in which he
serialized “Oliver Twist” (1837–39). In April of 1836 he married
Catherine, eldest daughter of a respected Scottish journalist and man
of letters, George Hogarth and they eventually had nine (surviving)
children.
Dickens continued at a prolific pace, and by 1850 had published nine
novels, including “Nicholas Nickleby” and “David Copperfield”, the most
autobiographical of his books. Many of the characters in his life
became characters in his books, most notably perhaps, Mr. Macawbre (his
father) in David Copperfield and Mrs. Nickelby (his mother) in Nicholas
Nickleby. Dickens himself appeared several times, but most especially
as David Copperfield himself.
“A Christmas Carol”, conceived and written in a few weeks in 1843, was
the first of his almost annual Christmas books (a new literary genre)
and was hugely popular, cementing the way that many of us view
Christmas to this day. He was eventually so associated with Christmas
that when Dickens died in 1870, a London costermonger's girl is said to
have exclaimed, “Dickens dead? Then will Father Christmas die too?”
Besides writing and editing, Dickens toured as a dramatic reader and
busied himself with charities that included schools for poor children
and a loan society to assist poor people immigrate to Australia. His
writing empathized with the poor and helpless and mocked or criticized
the selfish, the greedy, and the cruel.
Dickens would go on to write 15 major novels and countless short
stories and articles before his death on June 9, 1870. He wished to be
buried, without fanfare, in a small cemetery in Rochester, but the
nation would not allow it and he was laid to rest in Poet's Corner,
Westminster Abbey, the flowers from thousands of mourners overflowing
the open grave.
http://charlesdickenspage.com/
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/dickensbio1.html
http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/
Entertainment at the Dickens
Fair
The entertainment at the Dickens Fair is divided into shows,
environmental areas and performing groups. Audition announcements will
be posted in the email newsletters, see “missives” below.
Stages
(Each of these stages has individual shows which are auditioned by the
directors)
Fezziwig's Warehouse (Ballroom dancing and more)
Victoria & Albert Bijou Music Hall (High Class)
Sugar Plum Playhouse (Children's Entertainment)
Mad Sal's Dockside Ale House (Low Class)
Environmental Areas
The Adventurer's Club
Paddy West
Dickens Character "Parlour" Stage
The Dickens Family Parlour
Legion Fantastique (Jules Verne)
Green Man Public House
Fagin’s Den
Characters from Dickens'
Books
A Christmas Carol
Oliver Twist
Pickwick Papers
David Copperfield
Great Expectations
Nicholas Nickelby
Our Mutual Friend
Little Dorrit
Martin Chuzzlewit
Other Street Groups
Christmas Keepers
Coster Mongers
Coventry Carollers
Jeremy's Escort Service
Miracle Sweeps of London
Temperance Union
Mystery Tour with Inspector Pearce
Workshops &
Rehearsals
Workshops, auditions and rehearsals are held starting at the beginning
of November, (the place will be announced in the missives) although
most shows and groups are already well into rehearsals by this point.
There is a meeting at 10:00AM on the first day of the workshops.
Attendance at the meeting is mandatory, as is completing the assigned
workshops. This is to assure that the performers have a clear
understanding of the characters that they are playing and the vision of
Dickens London that we are trying to convey.
Would you like to be a performer at the Dickens Fair?
This is what you need to do:
#1 The Missive List
Email Missive Maven Cat Taylor at missives@redbarnproductions.org and
ask to be added to the Missive List. In the months preceding the
beginning of workshops, you will receive an email missive approximately
once every few weeks, informing you about workshops, performing
opportunities at the fair and other useful information. Once we get to
workshops and the fair itself, the frequency will increase to
approximately once a week. We do not do physical mailings to our
performers, this is the only way to stay apprised of all the important
information about performing at the Dickens Fair. Missives from
previous years, along with current information can be found at
http://www.cattaylor.com/missives.html
#2 Research!
If you spend much time commuting, listen to some of the Dickens books
on tape or CD, to further your knowledge and fire your imaginations.
Patrick Stewart's Christmas Carol (the audio version) is fabulous and
so is the Oliver Twist read by Dick Cavett (no kidding). All of the
Dickens books are downloadable for various PDA and mp3 formats, there
are fabulous websites with entire books (accessible from the missive
website), and there are movies galore, especially notable is the 1951
Christmas Carol, starring Alastair Sim. Of course, you could also
actually read the books...
#3 Audition
Think about what you would like to do (dance in Fezziwig's, sing with
the Carolers, portray a Dickens character)
and watch the missives for auditions for that group or character. If
you would like to propose a show or know a part in a show you would
like to audition for, email Entertainment Director Cat Taylor at
cat@redbarnproductions.org and tell her your idea, or ask to be
connected to the director of the particular show. If you would like to
audition for a specific Dickens character, email Robert Young at
robert@redbarnproductions.org.
#4 Costume
Once you have an idea of what you'll be doing at the Fair, start
putting your costume ideas together. There's lots of information on
this website, so you can start looking around for appropriate garments.
Remember, what you wear is determined by who your character is, so make
sure you get the part you’re auditioning for before you finalize your
costume. Your costume will also have to be approved by the costume
department for appropriate fit, style and materials before you will
receive your gate pass.
#5 Workshops and Rehearsals
There is a meeting at 10:00AM on the first day of the workshops.
Attendance at the meeting is mandatory, as is completing the assigned
workshops. All of the directors and workshop teachers will be
introduced so you can see who everyone is. This is always a fun event.
(There is also a mandatory morning meeting on dress rehearsal day, the
last day of workshops) 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.
Performer Requirements
#1 A completed registration form which includes:
#2 Your director 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 as we won't have a credit card terminal at the workshop
location.)
Below, please find the workshop requirements from last year. They
change a bit each year, but should be similar. The updated requirements
will be in the missives.
New Folks
New folks are required to take Orientation plus either Victorian or
Cockney language and Physical Characterization (and a Character Lab or
Improv workshop 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 taken 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 Improv I & II ). Please do not
try and take the labs if you haven't taken 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. We try and
add new and exciting workshops each year.
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.
(Note on Parking at The Cow Palace)
We recommend that ALL PARTICIPANTS who will be parking in the Cow
Palace parking lot purchase a parking pass for $45.00 per car (exact
amount subject to change by the Cow Palace). This is our cost, so do
not lose it as replacements will cost $45.00 as well. If you do not
have a parking pass, the Cow Palace parking staff will charge you
$10.00 per day.)
Special Note for Caroling Groups
Do you have a costumed caroling group that would like to perform at the
Dickens Fair for one very special day? Please contact Robert
Young at robert@redbarnproductions.org and be prepared to send in a
picture, an audio or video tape or CD and a 19th century appropriate
repertoire list. Please have a first and second choice for the day you
would like to attend.
Entertainment Staff Information
Entertainment Director
Cat Taylor: Cat is Director of
Entertainment for the Dickens Christmas Fair. As a show director and
musician, she understands performing from both sides of the equation
and endeavors to create a supportive and exciting, creative
environment. Cat also founded and administers the missive list, keeping
everyone informed about workshops, auditions and various details of our
version of Victorian London. If you are interested in creating or
performing in a stage show, contact her at cat@redbarnproductions.org
Street Theatre Director
Robert Young: In addition to
playing Charles Dickens, Robert will once again be our Street Theatre
Director. In that capacity he will not only oversee the
performers playing specific characters whether historical, built 'whole
cloth' or from the books, but also the entire tapestry of how all of
the performers interact when offstage. This includes the stage actors
who must remember whom they are portraying when they leave the stages.
He will also be coordinating the special performance groups who come in
from dance troupes, schools, etc. for special one day performances. You
can reach him at robert@redbarnproductions.org
Official
Dickens
Fair Costume Guidelines
Dickens
Bibliography
Building Your
Character
To
sign up for the missives, please email missives@redbarnproductions.org
and request to be added to the missive list. Please include your first
and last name, as well as your preferred
email address.
Downloadable Costume Info:
Bow Ties
Coats & Suits
Collars
and Cuffs
Frock Coats
Men's Shirts
Pants &
Vests
Various
Dickens Links