Finding my nitche

As the 2002 VTRF season approached, I was getting ready to perform at MERF as the Sherrif's Rackmaster - Noose Gallows. I'd been laid off from my job and was looking forward to the upcoming season at MERF, wondering what else I could do to get involved and help out. I was also planning on helping Village Tailor and Smith (VTS) make weapons and also with GBU props. GBU would be performing at VTRF. I had gone with "Devon" to help with a fight workshop and got to know some of the people there.

Then with three weeks until VTRF opened, "Connor" announced he wouldn't be able to do the show. "Amanda" and "Marie" had both dropped out of the program for different reasons and I was the lone backup. "Gustav" and "Devon" had already asked me to learn the "Ugly" fights (and I'd done one at Hammond Castle) so I was ready to step in, I informed them. For the next three weeks, we focused on me learning "History of the Blade" and "Jailbreak" as well as a cat show. I would be unavailable for a good part of the MERF rehearsal process. But I learned the shows and went on to become the third (or fourth really) in the series of "Uglies". "Alfredo" had made his debut in 2002.

VTRF was a tough schedule including squiring for the armored combat. But nothing prepared me for MERF. In addition to being in the Tavern Brawl, I was one of two performers with multiple fights in the Chess Match. I was also pulling a rope in two dunk shows. It was a rough schedule. And it was the first year for a joust at MERF. And we were doing a brawl following the joust. The theme was "Robin Hood" as there was a local yokel taking up the Medieval legend. It was a fun show and I had a good time. But I also expected it to be my last year as VTRF would but up against MERF the following year making rehearsing for MERF impossible.

At the end of MERF, we turned out attention towards CTRF. "Gustav" was the executive director for the show. He had been the ex-dir for MERF my first year (as well as the first two seasons) but had been replaced the following year. "Devon" was the show's Fight Director. He had been "Fight Captain" my first two years of MERF (and the show's first 5 years) but had resigned in the show's sixth season. It was an Arthurian themed faire and outside of performing with GBU and squiring for ATACC, I had no role. There had been a chance I'd be fighting the final weekend as we were an 8 person tournament. But my armor was not ready so I did not fight. I was a squire instead. I had a great time and looked forward to the next season.

Beauty and the Beast