[MR] Court Attendance, was Secrecy

[Lisa and Ken Theriot]

Charles asked:

[I was wondering about the side-effects on everybody outside that
circle.  How would such a change affect the pros and cons of attending
court for the populace at large?]

Pedro commented:

[If we made our ceremonies a bit more like period ceremonies, with a
little more show, noise, and pomp, they'd be worth seeing.]

Amen, brother!

Charles, I don't believe that the impact on the "audience portion" of
court attendees would be that great regardless of any awards policy.  If
you polled people standing around waiting for court, probably 80-90% of
them are there because attending court is something they do, not because
they believe or expect either they or someone they know is receiving an
award.

My first real court experience (i.e. more than announcements) was a
million years ago in the West Kingdom, at a Twelfth Night that became
legendary for its... wait for it... SEVEN HOUR COURT.  People who knew
that I was new kept coming up to me and saying, "Really, it's not
usually like this..." as though they were afraid I was going to go away
and never come back.  Not only was I NOT bored by the endless parade of
people I didn't know, I was positively transported.  It was like being
inside my favorite Errol Flynn movie; it was definitely at least part of
the SCA I signed on for.

Looking back, I realize that it had several factors in its favor which
all boil down to one root element: a sense of theater.  We are
play-acting the Middle Ages, and the people who play-act well send us
away with the most fulfilling experience.  Admittedly, for some, it is a
natural gift, but like any skill it can be worked on, and sadly many
people in a position to have need of it don't recognize that need.
Fighters work tremendously hard to develop the skills to win Crown, and
then often they spend the next 6-9 months sitting like a large potato
with a crown/coronet on its head, mumbling their lines.  (It has nothing
to do with virtue, either; some of the most reprehensible people have
the best sense of theater and greatest personal charisma.  It's tragic
that more than one of the most affecting monarchs I've ever encountered
have had their memberships revoked/denied by the Board.)

The Herald's office can be another problem, because sometimes the best
administrators and most proficient name and armory researchers conduct
court and field duty in a fashion less entertaining than watching paint
dry, or have a voice that simply doesn't carry past the second row.
Court is the "Dig me" part of the job, and most Principal Heralds feel
they've earned it as a cookie for doing the more boring parts of the
job; on the other hand, I have the greatest respect for PHs who realize
that court is not their forte and leave the theatrical bits to people
who can pull them off.

We can't summon up a handy castle great hall or a gaggle of fanfare
trumpeters to set and dress our production, but we can do a better job
than we do.  More court indoors where available: However clever the
repartee is, it can only be enjoyed by the people who can hear it, and
the worst acoustics inside are still better than open air. There's also
an echo effect to the cheers that is just better than al fresco court,
and it opens the possibility of having musicians that might be heard by
more than the people standing next to them. More processions!  Nothing
deflates the pomp any faster than a Crown who just turns a corner, plops
into the throne, and tells the herald to start.

Court is a lot like a production, and people vote with their feet.  When
you have a reign with monarchs who have a nice sense of theatre and a
good herald, more people come to court to see the show.  I think the
writ idea is a good one, because it creates a buzz even before the show
starts.  There is a core group of people who consider attending court a
duty, and they will be there no matter how dull court is.  Everyone else
will be there if they think there's a reason, and that reason can just
as well be "because it will be entertaining" as "because I'm getting an
award".


Adelaide