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We are "The Hearth of Saint Brigid", a guild of players who portray the artisans, peasants, farmers and other colorful characters of a late 16th century Englishvillage.
Our name comes from more than just a patron saint -- it is a time when home ovens were too impractical and expensive for the common folk such as we. So a central hearth was built for the entire village.
The Hearth is a literal presence at the center of our guild, a structure of brick and clay. But it is more than a mere oven. It is the source of the bread that sustains us each day and the center of our village in all the ways that are meaningful. The warm heart and soul of our lives. Here it is that the goodwives and yeomen exchange gossip and where weary travelers are drawn by the wholesome scent of baking bread.
At many faires, the villagers are the chorus, and that is a fair assessment of our role. We are the color on the village green, the milkmaids and artisans, musicians and artists. We are the ragamuffins and loiterers, the dirty urchin in rags begging for scraps and the upright farmer trying to make his way in a harsh world by honest sweat and hard work.
It is so easy to get wrapped up in pretty dresses and finery, props and costumes, sets and buildings (or tents) that we forget that a renaissance village needs villagers. People who keep the kingdom fed and clothed. We believe that a village starts with the villagers and everything else is gravy. Any idea that simple must have some merit, right?
Of course it does!
That is who we are! Villagers, Peasants, whatever you want to call us, we're the ones having all the fun. Those Nobles sure are pretty. They think they're in charge too! Notice how hot they are in all those layers of velvet? Now look around at who's having the most fun! We're the ones climbing trees, rolling in the mud and breathing life and color into this faire of ours. Rags are so much more comfortable than corsets! That's why we say "All the COOL kids are PEASANTS!"
You can be too!
Join us around the fire at the Hearth of Saint Brigid. We'll tell some stories, sing some songs, and have some fun! If you wish to join us, you will need to contact our guild master at:
Our every effort is bent in the direction of breathing life into our village and our characters. There is room for the shy and the bold, the novice and the professional in our guild. Though we make welcome our fair share of bold and brassy characters, remember that shy milkmaids can have every bit as much of an impact on our efforts to present a whole village. We encompass the complete cross-section of late renaissance life from the lower middle class artisans down to the lepers begging alms.
We hold monthly meetings hosted at our members’ homes, and it is required that you attend as many as you possibly can. This allows us to get to know one another socially, as well as plan the ‘through lines’ of our story, which is key to presenting a cohesive show and the impression that we are folk who have known one another our entire lives.
Do you have photos of us making merry at faire?
It never ceases to amaze me the number of cameras... er... um... painter's pallets (wink) that we see as we do our thing each season. If you have paintings of us doing our thing, send them to our guildmaster at the address above. We'd be happy to let the world know what a fine painter you are!
Here are a couple of sites by fine and true adepts of the visual arts
featuring images of our villagers at play...
by Byron Dazey
http://www.christiancarrollphoto.com/photocart/index.php?category=15
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