What did they do to our original Renaissance Faire?

Question

Chicago journalist Neil Steinberg said "If theme parks, with their pasteboard main streets, reek of a bland, safe, homogenized, whitebread America, the Renaissance Faire is at the other end of the social spectrum, a whiff of the occult, a flash of danger and a hint of the erotic. Here, they let you throw axes. Here are more beer and bosoms than you'll find in all of Disney World."

The origanal Renaissance Faire, started by Phyllis Patterson, a school teacher, resembled an actual spring market faire of the period. Many of the original booths were no-charge reenactments of historical activities such as printing presses, and blacksmiths. The first commercial vendors were mostly artisans and food merchants and were required to demonstrate historical accuracy or plausibility for their wares. Whole groups of volunteers were organized into "guilds" to focus on specific reenactment duties (musicians, military, celtic clans, peasants, etc).

Answer 1

Ah me, how times have changed.

My first Faire was in 1969, at the original Agoura site, and I worked Faire, as an on-stage entertainer, from 1986 to 2000, or thereabout (I do not have the letter from Zepeda thanking us for all our work and telling us we will no longer be paid handy). By the time we came along, entertainers were no longer volunteers. And why not? We worked hard to give a good show, and the Faire took in money.

Country Matters (that would be the aforementioned "we", I was the loudmouth with the bodhran. Remember us? Barley Mow? We were the best-known unknown group at Faire for a while) strove to keep authentic in both our garb and our song selections. In the earlier days, that was enough. We were basically Museum Pieces trying to recreate Living History. Once the novelty of that wore off, audiences wanted more.

As in more b***s and more ribaldry. Let's face it. Copious quantites of beer and ample cleavage make for better box-office. Former members of Country Matters have enjoyed great success at Faire as Poxy Boggards and Merry Wives of Windsor, on the NC-17 stage. Hey, it's what the people want. I, myself, am a former Son of Anacreon.

Lest you think I am a bitter ex-Faire-ite, I was just at Closing last Sunday, and had the marvelous experience of re-connecting with my old friends. Faire folk are indeed a breed apart. A kinder, more giving subset of society I have yet to meet. It seems axiomatic that the largest, hairiest, most frightening-looking guy or the loudest, boobiest, most frightening-sounding gal are just the ones you want watching your back. With edged weapons.

In real life, most of us are pretty mundane. That is not Mundane, for all you LARP'ers, just mundane.

It appears that Mr. Steinberg was rather taken aback by the whole Gestalt of what Faire is all about. Not that I blame him.

What did they do to our Renaissance Faire? Made it Corporate, thereby profitable.

And still existing.