Persona-Build-art - 2/24/99 "Building A Persona" by Pamela Hewitt, the Harper. NOTE: See also the files: persona-art, persona-msg, personas-msg, names-msg, mottoes1-msg, Barbrn-Persona-art, Persona-f-Beg-art, Som-Per-Ideas-art, Vikng-Persona-wsh. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This article was submitted to me by the author for inclusion in this set of files, called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org Copyright to the contents of this file remains with the author or translator. While the author will likely give permission for this work to be reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file. Thank you, Mark S. Harris...AKA:..Stefan li Rous stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ First published March 1998 in the Shire of Tempio's Newsletter, "The Dream Spinner". Building A Persona by Pamela Hewitt, the Harper Building a persona can be difficult, especially when the focus of so many events is upon what is happening on the list field. We may get so involved with putting up our tents and surviving in the great outdoors that we forget about our personas. I know I forget. Most of us don't have time to do a great deal of research, so sketching out a plan to develop your persona is a good idea. The first step is to select a period of history that you already know something about or that you want to know more about. Coming up with garb and a name are relatively easy, but what then. 1) Using A Historical Person As A Focal Point: SCA guidelines indicate that you cannot choose a historical character as your persona, but this does not preclude your using a specific historical character as a focus for your persona. You may have been a member of a historical person's household. Young people were frequently sent to the houses of noble relatives to complete their education. You might have been a secretary or a lady-in-waiting, who provided service to the household and received room, board, a clothing allowance and a modest gift each year. You may wish to refer to your historical person as your "Patron," this implies mutually rendered service or monetary support without the subservient implications of Master or Mistress. 2) Display Your Training: Generally, a young man would have studied the arts of war and hunting, while a young woman would have studied the management of a large house hold. But that doesn't mean that your persona has to be limited to gender specific tasks. You might have been trained by A Master of Horse, Lord crusty Warrior or your Mistress Fussalot may have taught you a great deal about herbs and brewing. You might want to share some portion of your training with others. Remember to avoid patronization. "My mistress was ever so much into brewing, have you done a bit of that yourself?" You don't want to run your 3 hour lecture on a topic, if the person you are talking to happens to have a master's thesis in the subject. Further, don't be an Arts and Science bore, be guided by your audiences questions and do give them an opportunity to enter the conversation. You might learn something from them. 3) Use Household Gossip: As a member of a historic person's household you may have an insider's view. For example you might have found Richard the III a sympathetic and compassionate person to members of his household and dismiss his historical bad press as slanders. The Countess of Shrewsbury may have been Queen Elizabeth I's lady-in-waiting, but did she really say all those dreadful things about her to Mary Queen of Scots. What is your persona's opinion? 4) Use Historical Gossip: Your knowledge of historical events needs only to be very general. If you have been living out in the country , you won't know the latest news or court gossip. Unless you are a master spy and a member of a spy ring, it is unlikely that you will know the intimate details of what is going on at every court in Europe. However, You might have a correspondent at the French or Spanish Court who keeps you up to date on the latest news there. 5) Know Your Geography: Locate your Historical person's holdings on a map. (The Counties of Britain: A Tudor Atlas by John Speed, can provide period maps.) You may want to impress people by rattling off these estates. Studying photographs of the buildings which will allow you to brag about the architectural wonders of these holdings. You can exclaim on the size of a great hall or the beauty of a garden. These buildings may have been the scene of an historic event such as a royal visit. There may be first hand accounts in your historic person's correspondence. Does your patron's castle command a militarily strategic position? For example, Edinburgh Castle is built upon a huge rock mass that commands the country side. Its use goes back as far as the Picts and the Romans. Many castles are locate along the Rhine river. Their primary purpose was to extort tolls from boat traffic on the river. Some early Manor houses had military defenses such as moats as well as secret escape routes. As a soldier you may have an interest in such things. 6) Your Personal Experiences: While a historic person can help you focus in upon your persona's period, you can transform your personal experiences into your persona's history with a little imagination and ingenuity. You can also use family stories about you or your brothers and sister's doings to create persona stories. Little boys fell out of trees and teased their sisters as much yesterday as today. Family pets such as puppies chewed up shoes, shredded papers and rolled in dead things back then too. Your childhood friends can be transformed into your persona's friends. Childhood escapades can be transformed into persona stories. 7) Getting Into Persona: For most people, just putting on their garb gets them into their persona. It is hard not to swagger when you strap on a sword and dagger. But many people approach their persona as a dramatic role and may give it dimension: A) By Using Language: Many choose to use Shakespearian English and expressions or even Chaucerian English to built their character. Other's may effect a French accent or use Latin quotations. B)Using Body Language: Method actors frequently use tricks such as jutting out a jaw to establish an character's belligerence or raising their chin and tensing their neck muscles to emphasis their character's anxiety. Your persona may choose to use similar body language to communicate. How would King Henry VIII's Assistant Captain of the Guard carry himself? Would he copy King Henry's straddled legs hands on hips stance? Would he mumble his commands? Would he look around to see if people were looking at him to see how handsome he was ? Your persona can be as close to yourself or as far away from yourself as you choose. C) By Using "A Bit OF Business:" Have some idea of something amusing to do to draw attention to your persona. Be prepared with appropriate and witty comments. For example: At Lyoness a Lord posing as a physician was carrying around a glass jar displaying "leeches" (segments of gummy worms). These he dispensed with appropriate comments to inquiring ladies and lords. William the Bear, disguised as a barbarian leading a puppy said: "I found him on the road. I'm taking him home for dinner, I'm woking the dog, etc." Having a conversation with the baboon skull on someone staff can be fun, if a little disconcerting. It is these sort of encounters that makes an event memorable and fun. 8) Choosing Your Garb: A glance in an art history book may very quickly give you documentation for your garb. These may be more readily available to you than books on the history of costuming which were also compiled by researchers examining art works.. If you do not wish to wear court dress, look for what people wore as ''country clothes." Elizabethan Costuming For the Years 1550-1580 by Janet Winter and Carolyn Savoy has a lot of practical ideas for creating country clothing that is comfortable. Price wise this book is a lot cheaper than most patterns and provides a whole wardrobe for both lord and lady. You will find your reception at events improves with the authenticity and quality of your garb. Always wash your garb in cold water and Woolite. Treat it with respect. Your garb is one of the most easily recognized portions of your persona. 9) Introducing Your Persona: When you have sketched out your persona, be sure to start introducing him/her at events. Don't feel awkward introducing yourself to people you already know, they will enjoy the joke as much as you do. If you are trying to develop a new persona and have a new name, always pass yourself off as your former persona's cousin, brother, etc. "Oh, him! He's my idiot cousin from..." When introducing your persona relate something amusing or an interesting fact about yourself. Names such as Stephen, the Juggler are self explanatory. Ethal, the Unready naturally brings to mind the question:"Unready for what." Perhaps have a short story to support your boast or explain your talent. Be brief. Be funny, if that's your style. Having finished your piece ask your listener to introduce himself. Allowing others to exercise their personas will make you a popular person. -------- Copyright 1998 by Pamela Hewitt, the Harper, Pamela Keightley Hughes, 3305 Pecan Drive, Temple, TX 76502-2341. e-mail: shughes at vvm.com (2 "v"s not a "w") Permission granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided author is credited and receives a copy. If this article is reprinted in a publication, I would appreciate a notice in the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan. Edited by Mark S. Harris Persona-Build-art Page 4 of 4