Fanning the flames 3

Public Displays;

General Points to Remember

In a public display, regardless of whether it is a play, a tourney, or carrying on in the camp, remember the following things:

• Don’t swear 
  
• Nothing post 15th century in the camp once the banner is up. IE coke, coffee, reading/sun glasses, phones, potato chips. If you desperately need it, do it out of sight - in a closed tent.
  
•  We are performing for the public, and we are usually being paid to do so. We are not just there for our own amusement. Amuse everyone. We can amuse ourselves when the banner goes down. If in doubt, get Troy or Kelvin to amuse people for you.
  
•  Don’t bring any arguments to the field, nor argue about anything that happens on the field. It can be sorted out later, out of the public view, in the tavern. But use a false name & say your with (insert other group name here).
  
•  Be aware of the audience. Don’t stray too far from them where they can’t see, and don’t trample them. Landing on a toddler whilst wearing full armour is considered bad luck.
  
•  If something does happen to a member of the public, regardless of how it happened, do not admit culpability in any way. A good line is “you should seek medical assistance.” A bad line is “oh my god, look what I’ve done through my own stupidity and negligence!”
  
•  If any member of the club is hurt during the display, the public doesn’t need to know. Deal with it in whatever way is appropriate and keep the display moving. We have plenty of medically trained people in the group that will tell you it’s nothing & to walk it off.
  
•  If anyone asks whether we get hurt doing what we do, the correct answer is that we get the occasional bruise, but it is usually sporting injuries brought on by not warming up, or by being cheeky to the Ladies. Don’t tell them about chaffing armour or fungal rashes from the wool.
  
•  A show is not an excuse to let safety standards drop. Don’t fight with any unfamiliar weapon except with specific approval from a marshal, don’t fight without gauntlets, and if your helmet falls off, die.
  
•  People designated by the Leader Of the Company - Headman , (L.O.C.H. McRae) to fight in shows will only do & use what they are told to. No improvising during show fights.
  
•  A spectacular death is better than staying alive and looking boring.
  
•  In group fights, lots of steel on steel contact is good to make plenty of noise;
  
•  If you get confused about what is going on while you are not on the field, there is usually a non-combatant who is in charge of making sure people are where they are supposed to be. Ask.
  
•  If you get confused about what is going on while you are on the field, do what somebody else on your side is doing.
  
•  As in all fighting matters, the word of the marshals and chief marshal is law. No, not Kelvin Marshall.
  
  

  An English history survey of 2,069 adults aged 16 or over was conducted for Blenheim Palace to mark the 300th anniversary of the Battle of Blenheim.

  Real people that some believe never existed  Ethelred the Unready King of England 978 to 1016 - 63 %  William Wallace 13th-century Scottish hero - 42 %  Benjamin Disraeli Prime minister and founder of the modern Tory party - 40 %  Genghis Khan, Mongol conqueror - 38 %  Benito Mussolini, Fascist dictator, 33 %  Adolf Hitler - 11 %  Winston Churchill - 9 %

  Real events some people believe never took place  Battle of the Bulge 52 %  Battle of Little Big Horn Scene of Custer's last stand - 48 %  Hundred Years' War 44 %  Cold War - 32 %  Battle of Hastings, 15 %

  Fictional events that were believed to have taken place  War of the Worlds , Martian invasion - 6 %  Battle of Helms Deep , Rings Trilogy - The Two Towers - 3 %  Battle of Endor , The Return of the Jedi - 2 %  Planet of the Apes , the apes rule Earth - 1 %  Battlestar Galactica , the defeat of humanity by cyborgs - 1 %

  Fictional characters who were believed were real  King Arthur , mythical monarch of the Round Table - 57 %  Robin Hood - 27 %  Conan the Barbarian - 5 %  Richard Sharpe , fictional cad and warrior - 3 %  Edmund Blackadder - 1 %  Xena Warrior Princess - 1 %

  
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