whoareyou?
Who are you?
" Wench" is not an occupation...
Occupational Hazards
Alright. You have a name, you have a general idea of the sort of acting that will be expected of you and what kind of garb we're talking about... time to complete your character.
"Wench" is not an occupation. Neither is "Peasant". All right, wenching is a favorite pastime of the young laddies, but you can’t make a living at it, even in the renaissance. (Not in polite company anyway) Wench and peasant are words that describe age, sex and social class, but neither of them are suitable answers to our second question: What does your newly named character do for a living?
Below I have listed a selection of 100 trades and occupations that are appropriate to our time period and location. This list is not meant to be all-inclusive. There are likely many trades or sub-categories of the trades listed that I neglect to mention and actors are free to chose those as well as ones from the list below as long as they can defend its inclusion in a Scottish village circa 1560(ish) AD. Keep in mind that the line between peasant and middle class is often fuzzy in this time period. Some are listed twice (once in each heading) to denote the diversity of wealth and talent present in that specific occupation. There were poor master masons and there were wealthy blacksmiths in the 16th century as the ranks of the middle classes swelled and the predominant bulk of European wealth shifted from the coffers of the nobles to the purses of the merchants and artisans.
You will note that most occupations that are specifically geared toward serving a noble household (herald, steward, etcetera) have been purposely excluded from the lists. This is because those roles – when they are portrayed – fall under the auspices of the noble guilds at most renaissance faires. Often those roles are “try out” roles for people who are auditioning their costuming and acting skills for future openings in the higher echelons of the nobility for the faire. Likewise, some of the roles I do mention are claimed by other guilds depending on the faire, such as mayor and sheriff.
Each of the occupations has a short note appended to it describing their role in society and ways to incorporate them into your faire persona. Also noted are ways to gig that will be explained further and expounded upon in the acting chapter.
Not every occupation has a good way to incorporate it into a renaissance faire, or doing so could be too expensive, require extensive props or conflict with a merchant who is paying for the privilege to have their booth at faire. Such roles should be avoided unless you think of a way to avoid conflicts. Most notable examples of conflict are blacksmiths, peddlers, mercers, merchants et al. The boothies at renaissance faires make their living and feed their families based on their sales. If you really want to sell things at faire, look into getting a booth and going that route. The roles where you’re hawking wares should never detract from the wares actually for sale in the booths of the people paying to be there. The best route is to make your wares either preposterous, ugly, smelly, expensive or any combination thereof. If it comes down to a patron wanting to buy something and it’s something you know is for sale in a booth nearby, tell them you do not understand their currency, (This paper money? What is that? That is not gold, sir!) Tell them that you have heard that _____ vendor accepts such currency (for some reason) and guide them there. We’re not here to make a fast buck, we’re here to entertain the masses.
Another thing to take into account is your ability to embody the role by demonstrating the skills and knowledge that a member of that occupation would have at their mental fingertips. Do really you know enough to breathe life into an apothecary? A basketweaver?
In all honesty, you don’t have to be a master of a craft in order to portray that role at faire. As a faire apothecary you won’t be dispensing medications. (!) And you only need to have the props and be able to discuss the broad outlines of some roles in order to be convincing at them such as butchers and other characters that are well nigh impossible to demonstrate their talents in the context of a renaissance faire.
Some of your hobbies might help you decide on a role, such as sewing (seamstress, dressmaker, tailor, etc) papermaking and calligraphy (bookbinder, scribe, scrivener, etc.). Typically such things will involve props you already own and lessen the outlay of cash necessary to embody this character you are creating.
There is no random choice on this one, you will have to pick something that you can portray convincingly and within your budget and skill level. To help you choose according to the amount of time, money and effort you want to put into the role, the following rating system is provided to show the difficulty and financial outlay required to get started if you are doing the bare minimum role, not including specific equipment. The scale is 1-5 with 1 being the easiest or lowest cost. The scales are subjective.
“Peasant” Class
Acrobat/Actor:
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Difficulty: ®®®
Seems a mite too easy, doesn’t it? Sort of a play within a play. If you want to perform Shakespeare, there are guilds that encourage that sort of thing, this isn’t necessarily one of them. There were plenty of wandering souls mucking about in the world, however, that did street performances, feats of agility, morality plays and the like. Most of them worked for the coins a passing merchant might toss at them for their trouble (or to bribe them to vacate the parcel of street in front of their shoppe). Such down-on-their-luck souls were most definitely peasants and therefore open for portrayal within the parameters of our guild.
Barber:
Research:&&&
Props:
Costuming: ""
Difficulty: ®®®
Barbers were the dentists and general surgeons of the day. Anesthetic? What’s that? Anything that didn’t involve a specific illness was taken care of by the Barber Surgeon, from sewing up cuts to pulling teeth. In truth, the peasants of our time mainly took care of these things at home since they couldn’t afford to pay a professional, so the Barber/Surgeon’s main clients would be the middle class. All manner of implements can dangle from a Barber/Surgeon’s belt and an ominous-looking bag isn’t a bad addition to compliment the suspicious brownish-red stains down the front of your garb.
Barmaid
Research:&
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Difficulty: ®®®®®
The difficulty level here is elevated to denote the moxie necessary to carry off the role. Barmaids (or bar wenches as they are often called) must be outgoing. The taverns of a renaissance faire tend toward the bawdy, loud and did I already say bawdy? Often the actresses cross this role with that of a prostitute, but the two are not necessarily synonymous. Either way, the atmosphere of the renaissance pub is not a place for the shrinking violet. Also, at most faires the bar wenches are the only actors earning tips on a regular basis and are often in their own guild.
Basketweaver:
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Props:
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Difficulty: ®®®®
Not as easy at it seems, basket weaving is a craft that will require patience, practice, and a good deal of research. Even if you know how to do it, it can be difficult, especially working with 16th century tools. The good part –as with all things – is the rewards that come from mastering the craft. A lot of good books exist on the topic, keeping in mind the available materials in Renaissance Scotland, this would be a great way for a less outgoing character to help out in the encampment yet still provide necessary background color.
Beggar:
Research:&
Props:
Costuming: "
Difficulty: ®®®®
There’s a right way and a wrong way to beg at a renaissance faire. Being funny and just repulsive enough to startle the patron without making them run away is the correct way to go about it, hence the difficulty level above. Probably the least expensive costume you could hope for since all you really need is rags and a begging bowl… and dirt, lots and lots of dirt. Good gigs include an everchanging variety of ailments with which to invoke sympathy, especially if you change the ailment every time you talk to someone. Especially if the last person you talked to is still within earshot…
Blacksmith:
Research:&&&&&
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Difficulty: ®®®®®
Blacksmith is one of those roles it is wise to avoid. Mainly because the blacksmith is one of the mainstays of the renaissance faire circuit and – as already noted – you do not want to detract from the people earning their bread by selling their wares at faires. Additionally, it is well nigh impossible to pull off a workable blacksmith character without setting up a forge and doing some smithing. That said, a creative soul might pull it off. Good luck.
Bowyer/Fletcher:
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It is difficult, but not impossible to do this at faire. Merchants selling bows are uncommon but not all that rare, and most faires have one show up at one time or another. However if you are skilled at making bows, the folks selling them can only benefit from you showing the patrons how difficult it can be to make one for themselves. Not to mention the fact that if you make it improperly it can be dangerous (ever seen the effect of a bow snapping?). Take this one with care and only if you already know how, the lead time on learning this skill is considerable. Good gigs all tend to run along the same lines as the Hunter and Forester.
Brewer:
Research:&&&&&
Props:
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Difficulty: ®®®®®
This is likely one of the most difficult things to do in the period fashion. Brewing is hard, that’s why most breweries pay their brewmasters so much money for their skills. However, if you have the knack and wherewithal, it is a rewarding art form. There are a lot of laws governing the creation and distribution of alcohol, so be certain to find out what they are and abide by them. Before you bring beer to a faire or decide to brew at a faire, the owners will need to sign off on it for some very sound legal reasons.
Not an easy character to get off the ground by any means. Optionally, if you just want to say you’re a brewer and walk around with a pouch full of malt and hops, talking about it, go for it. It would probably work better than most professions since brewing is an art form in which so many people are currently interested. Make certain you can answer their questions, because you’re going to get a lot of them.
Carter/Teamster:
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A passable-looking cart is an easy enough thing to make, especially for those blessed with a woodwright’s talents. Rides could be given rather like a rickshaw (make it sturdy if you’re going to try this) and there’s always an opportunity to earn drinks from the bar wenches at the pub hauling the kegs to and fro (ditto). Even if you lack enough woodworking skills to build a functional cart, how about a ramshackle cart that looks like it won’t make it much farther than the next tuft of grass? Or even better, one that you have to stop occasionally and put the wheel back on? A down on his luck carter makes a better character anyway. Loads of possibility!
Chandler:
Research:&&&
Props:
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Difficulty: ®®®
Historically, chandlers made candles, which by our period were mostly made in molds. Peasants burned rushlights (think piece of straw soaked in beef tallow to make a rudimentary candle) so your main customers would be ecclesiastical or noble/upper middle class. If you know a lot about candlemaking and own the stuff, this could be fun, but probably doesn’t have a lot of potential as a full-time gig. Interestingly, by the 16th century, Chandlers had diversified and also sold items for the home rather like a general store in the old west.
Chirurgen (Surgeon/Physician):
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An excellent role for the paramedic, medical student, nurse, etcetera. Similar in most respects to the Barber/Surgeon, but less of a jack-of-all-trades, the Chirugen tended to focus on wounds and broken bits and therefore was mostly found in the accompaniment of military units. The Landsknecht were famous for the skills of their Chirurgens (among other reasons). Same potential for gross-out humor as the Barber/Surgeon.
Cobbler/Shoemaker:
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Yet another role you should probably skip. This is a role with a substantial props list if you want to actually demonstrate what you do, and a number of merchants at almost every faire selling wares that you might interfere with. However, like the bowyer, you might actually help these merchants by demonstrating the amount of skill and hard work that goes into the creation of their wares (thus justifying some of the loftier prices they charge). If you know how to do this and don’t want to become a merchant for some reason, go for it, but if you don’t already know how… the lead time on learning this skill to any degree of mastery is a long one. Chose this one carefully.
Constable:
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Difficulty: ®®®
Usually something of a village tough who assumed the job rather than needing it assigned to them. These blokes usually weren’t especially well paid so they sometimes made ends meet with a measure of graft, which they tithed to their leader or the mayor/sheriff to keep those vultures at arm’s length. Probably the only role in the peasant class that could get away with carrying a weapon albeit a lowgrade one (cudgel, rude short sword, bill, spear etc.) Like the beggar (funnily enough) this is an easy one to overstep your bounds with. Constable characters should base most of their gigs on their willingness to be bribed, into overlooking the way a patron is shamelessly flaunting her bare legs, for instance. (local decency laws, you know…).
Cook:
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Like to cook? For a lot of people? Does the idea of researching and cooking period food intrigue you? Have a lot of wrought iron cookware already? Well, we always need someone at the encampment preparing the repast for our actors, and the prospect for preparing it on-site where the patrons can watch and ask questions is a great idea to be highly encouraged.
Cordwainer:
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This odd title is derived from “Cordovan” which was a leather made from horsehides, and used primarily to make shoes. The guild that went by this name encompassed all manner of shoemakers (see Cobbler above) and other leatherworkers, et al. The possibilities are along the same lines as the other handicrafters, including the amount of research and practice involved in getting good at it. Once you are good at it, especially at the footwear, the opportunity to subsidize your hobby by selling your stuff as a merchant is –perhaps – greater than with most other crafts mentioned here. A Cordwainer would also probably wear more leather than any other peasant or lower class individual could or would, so if you like that sort of thing…
Crier:
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The difficulty here is in regard to not only speaking in public, but also being able to shout in public. This is more difficult than it sounds, especially if you’re trying to be understood. A crier walked around announcing news items or hawking for merchants. At some faires, criers are a guild unto themselves (usually aligned with heralds) who run around the faire carrying messages or acting as a public address system for patrons (“Thomas Crandle thine mother is awaiting thee at the front gate and thou art in serious trouble young man!”) Good for the outgoing and the loud of voice.
Dyer:
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Difficulty: ®®®®
A Dyer makes dyes and uses them on both cloth and fiber. Of all the “fiberarts”, perhaps the easiest to pull off with the least amount of money required for the initial buy-in. Most dyes of the period that would be available in such a rural area would be plant dyes, which are relatively easy to concoct from things you can buy at your neighborhood grocery store or flower shop. The difficulty lies in the research necessary to make certain things look right, but for the correct person, this would be a fun time and has the potential for interacting with any Weavers, Spinners, Herbalists, Apothecaries, or (most especially) the Washerwomen. This is a good role for someone wanting to fade into the background as local color or someone who wants to be as bawdy and outgoing as the washerwomen.
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