HS Renaissance Faire to be held November 2-3
Pirates, fairies and royals will take over the Garland County Fairgrounds Nov. 2 and 3 when the inaugural Hot Springs Renaissance Faire is held with a focus on imagination and literature.
Prior to the event, the cast will also appear at the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre’s production of “Romeo and Juliet” at the Hot Springs Farmers & Artisans Market on Sunday, with an actress portraying Queen Elizabeth I holding court at the event.
Created by Travis Gates, the Renaissance Faire has a cast of 42, divided up into different areas — fairies, Gypsies, pirates, royals and town folks. Gates said in order to participate, each cast member had to take multiple classes to learn the history of the time period of the event and to learn improv acting.
Asked why he decided to start a Renaissance Faire in Hot Springs, Gates laughed and said, “Someone said I couldn’t. I was like ‘No, no, no, I will, watch me.’” He said Renaissance Faires are about imagination and literacy.
“Imagination in people starts to wain in sixth or seventh grade, and normal life eradicates it,” Gates said, noting many people today don’t read books anymore. He said people turn away from books because it is too difficult for them to picture what they are reading and the event can help awaken that imagination.
Gates said the event is a place where visitors will learn some history. Set in the 1570s during a peaceful time during the reign of Elizabeth I, the Renaissance Faire mixes history and fiction. Gates said that he picked a time period where nothing major occurred, so such an event could have been held.
Gates said visitors can glean information about the era by asking questions of the performers, who have been tasked with designing their character. All the performers received a questionnaire to help them create the character’s back story.
While this will be the group’s first official faire, they have already put on several shows around Garland County this year. Around 20 performers attended Arts & The Park in April and the group also had a booth at Spa-Con IV and were at the Hot Water Hills Music & Arts Festival. Gates said around 800 kids experienced the faire at Arts & The Park, and around 2,000 went through their gate at SpaCon.
Shakespeare at the Market’s preshow will start at 3 p.m. Sunday at 121 Orange St. The play starts one hour later. Admission is free.
A news release said attendees of the play will be able to play “games and enjoy the court of Queen Elizabeth the First, watch and interact with Her Royal Majesty as she enters and holds court in Her private pavilion.”
The Renaissance Faire will be held from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. on both Nov. 2 and 3 at the fairgrounds, 4831 Malvern Ave. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children aged 6 through 12. An adult weekend pass is $15, and a youth weekend pass is $7. Children younger than 6 are admitted at no charge.