Concerning Possible Renn Faire "Rudeness"

[DoñaNina]

Hey guys, I had a question I'd like to ask, because while I've been doing the faire thing for a while, there is one little issue I'm on the fence about.

So, friendly ribbing amongst faire folk is pretty normal. Gentle teasing, that sorta thing. Saying someone looks like a saucy wench and such is cool. However, sometimes someone comes along and throws a curveball, and I'm left wondering if it was friendly ribbing or a serious punch to the gut.

I'll give you an example, but before I do that, let me just say that I'm exremely sensitive. I was bullied a lot as a kid, so being "picked on" in a less then nice way always gets to me. I'm still wondering if this was actual unfriendliness, or just another faire ribbing.. but since I didn't know this person at all, I was a little less open to out-of-nowhere insults.

So anyway, I spoke to a faire performer holding a sign leading to his show. There is a similar show at another nearby faire, so I engaged him with a greeting and said I was excited to attend his show. He responded by saying that he had a free brothel that could keep me busy. It wasn't in a charming cheerful way, he didn't laugh, he just said it with a straight face and walked away. Me being a simple sensitive type, I just kinda went back to my group, feeling put-off and sad. The next day, my boss told me that the only bad part about this faire (my boss was there on the same day) was this particular performer. He attended the show that I mentioned, and said that this person was uncomfortably rude, yelled at several children, and generally made his audience feel less than welcome. He and several other people wrote a scathing review afterwards.

So, this made me thing; well, maybe this guy was a jerk! Maybe I had every right to feel offended! But at the same time, maybe that's normal. Maybe some faire folk are cool with a few insults being lobbed their way.

How do you guys feel about it? Is it normal? Are we just sensitive creatures? I'm perfectly willing to admit that I'm in the wrong, here.

[Moira Danue Conandel]

I think it is important to make your character personable to others, even if your character is tough or seemingly stand-offish. If this guy is making people actively feel uncomfortable, patrons and actors alike, without the hint that it is an act, then there is a problem.

You could always let him know that the brothel wouldn't have him even if he paid ;)

[DoñaNina]

You could always let him know that the brothel wouldn't have him even if he paid ;)

See, it's zingers like that I wish I could come up with on the spot. I just get too tongue-tied when I think someone is being mean! Flashbacks to the 3rd grade!

[Moira Danue Conandel]

I wouldn't be able to come up with it on the spot either, so we're both in the same boat there :)

Also, since I'm sitting in front of a computer without the flustered rush of adrenaline from such a situation, let's put this in our ammunition pouch:

"You only wish I were that undiscerning, love."
"I know you'd love that, but have no use for eunuchs."

[DoñaNina]

"I know you'd love that, but have no use for eunuchs."

Fabulous!

I need a list of these for when I get too tongue tied!

[Buxom Wench]

You can add this to your pouch of comebacks.

With a straight face, stand even straighter, look him up and down as though you smell something rotting and say,

"Not if you were the last erect man on the face of the planet."

Look him up and down again with a wrinkled nose, and deliberately turn 180 degrees and walk away.

[SHpepperKat]

This is a performer who did not take his acting classes seriously. Even as new as I am to the fun of acting, I know that you don't want to make your audience uncomfortable in a place where the goal is to create an atmosphere of belief and fantasy. We want to make people think they are really at a faire in the Renaissance period. So yes, he was rude and yes, a politely worded letter to faire management about how exactly he made you feel is appropriate.
If someone did that at our faire here, I can guarantee that management would want to know about it. We don't want people to feel bad. It's supposed to be fun.

[DoñaNina]

Thanks guys. I'll be sure to write a small letter about what happened.

And continue to fill that bag of zings! (Now I gotta get a leather pouch that says "bag of zings"..)

[Moira Danue Conandel]

(Now I gotta get a leather pouch that says "bag of zings"..)

I love it!

[Phoenix McHeit]

Not to defend what you and others felt was rudeness, but there is a performer on circuit (whose name escapes me, I'm thinking Christophe? ) the Insulter. His whole schtick is to insult folks, horribly, rudely, constantly. Patrons can purchase his 'services' towards a member of their group, kind of like a Roast. He's apparently hilarious to some. Personally I don't find that kind of humor to be very, well... humorous, but there are some who do. Could this fellow have been the same guy?