Regarding The Golden Age of King Richard's Faire of Kenosha, Wisconsin[]
King Richard's Faire, an Illinois/Wisconsin renaissance faire existed from 1972 until 1987 and was a live interactive experience set inside a decorated forested area where actors dressed in period costume and fairgoers were active participants in planned and impromptu events.
Actors and musicians in costume roamed the fairgrounds on foot and on horseback creating a variety of performances on the spot such as playing the pipes, live jousts (fencing matches), short plays or reading aloud the "latest writings" of Shakespeare.
Trinkets and snacks were close at hand as maidens roamed the grounds with baskets laden with theme food items which included "magic popcorn" (kettle corn), "jars of mead" (beer) and "sweet water" (Cola). It was commonplace to be jeered at by a jester in a tree or a passing court performer as the actors would encourage fairgoers to interact with them by asking entertaining questions or passing a comment upon approach in a whimsical 16th-century Shakespearean baroque.
In 1972, inspired by the Minnesota Renaissance faire near Shakopee, "Company 7" rock concert promoter Richard Shapiro, and his wife, Bonnie (Harris) Shapiro, parents of journalist, TV host and actress Samantha Harris, first produced a small event in a corn field near Chicago, Illinois.
In 1973 the Faire moved to a wooded farm property near Antioch, IL, east of 45 on Edwards Road.
(This early faire (1973-1975) included a "slave market" concept where volunteer participants were "sold" to patron bidders to lug their packages or fetch their food.
1975 and 1976, the Faire was located next to Midlane Country Club , Delany Road, Gurnee, IL. One of the street performances included a sketch called Dante's Inferno. Among the cast members was Michael Dvorak who later became KRF's Music Director, Special Events Coordinator and was responsible for performer scheduling. Also in the cast were members of the original Jongleurs.
In 1977, Greathall, Dick Shapiro's Faire production company, leased the property north of State Line Road. Bristol Renaissance Faire is currently held on the same site.
The Early Years[]
From 1972 to 1978, Richard, King Richard, and Bonnie Shapiro dressed in elaborate royal attire, opened the gates, wandered the site and greeted patrons. John Mills was Artistic Director from 1973 to 1987 (with the exception of 1974)
In a transition toward more theatricality as well as a PR move, actor Jim Belushi was contracted to portray the King. He lasted one weekend.
In 1977 and 1978, the early equestrian Jousts were performed by a southside Chicago group named "Knights of the Silver Sword." The Hanlon-Lees Action Theatre was hired to joust after 1979 and has continued (with one interruption during the Bristol take-over) to this day.
Memorable 1980s King Richard's Faire of Kenosha, Wisconsin Performers[]
For multiple seasons during the 1980s ( when comedy on the stages and streets at the Kenosha, Wisconsin fairesite was King! ) the late and multi-talented Chicago actor-singer-comedian and master puppeteer Ray Nelson ( the Emmy award-winning television producer of WBBM TV's "The Magic Door" and Founder of The Windy City's Puppet Place Theatre ) delighted, amused and charmed audiences with his portrayal of King Richard. Mr. Nelson, a rather large and robust entertainer, became a popular favorite as King Richard among patrons, performers and vendors alike - especially when he would burst into song or break out the puppets!
In 1986, veteran and award-winning Chicago stage actor Darryl Maximilian Robinson ( a future 1997 Joseph Jefferson Citation Award Winner as Best Actor for his performance as Sam Semela in The Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago revival production of Athol Fugard's "Master Harold And The Boys" and a future 2015 / 2016 Los Angeles ELATE Season Ticket Holder Award Nominee as Best Actor for for his performance as Ernest in the 2016 Emmanuel Lutheran Actors Theatre Ensemble - ELATE revival of Tad Mosel's "Impromptu ") was cast by Artistic Director John Mills and comedy writers Patty McKenny and Doug Frew to create the role of The Grand Inquisitor Of Spain, Tomas de Torquemada in "Murder, They Quoth," KRF's big musical-comedy-mystery Grand Scenario. In the summer seasons of 1988 and 1989, Mr. Robinson would return to the fairesite ( under the new Bristol Renaissance Faire management and with the full support of Entertainment Director Michael Dvorak ) to portray Shakespearean actor and time-traveler, His Most Revered Lordship, Sir Richard Drury Kemp-Kean, in his critically-praised, original one-man show of Shakespeare and time-travel comedy, "A Bit Of The Bard" upon the intimate and lovely Minstrel's Glen Stage, and to serve as Director and Instructor of Shakespearean Theatre (utilizing trained classical theatre students in seven scenes by the bard around the faire grounds throughout the festival day) for the newly formed Bristol Theatre Academy. Now, nearly three decades after his wonderful and insightful King Richard's Faire / Bristol Renaissance Faire acting training and teaching experience, Darryl Maximilian Robinson returned to the Windy Theatre Community this past fall in the marvelous dual roles of Chairman William Cartwright and The Mayor Sapsea in The Saint Sebastian Players' 2018 revival of Tony Award-winning Composer / Lyricist / Book Author Rupert Holmes' brilliant Solve-It-Yourself Musical Whodunit "The Mystery of Edwin Drood ( based on the final and unfinished novel by 19th-century English literary master Charles Dickens ) at the lovely, 100-year-old-plus St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in the Windy City's historic Lakeview neighborhood.
During the years of The Grand Scenario being a centerpiece of entertainment at the Kenosha, Wisconsin fairesite, some of the most striking and effective costumes seen at King Richard's Faire were the work of skilled Costume Designer Richard D. Weber, who proved not only a wiz at wardrobe for the large court of King Richard, but a wonderful actor-singer-comedian and swordsman. Mr. Weber became noted at KRF in Kenosha and KRF in Carver, Mass. for his outstanding portrayal of Sir Percival Degage'.
The Chicago Branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) also performed scheduled Tourneys on foot, with the combatants wielding rattan swords in full contact, unrehearsed competitions. Among that cast were Dean Calin (Robin Balagan), Eric Forsberg (Erik the Dark), Andrea Dubnick (Sonja of Prague), and Maria Kumpf (Maria the Mad).
A KING RICHARD'S FAIRE OF KENOSHA, WISCONSIN PERFORMER ALUM'S UPDATE!:
Most recently, during an extended year-long visit to his original hometown of Chicago, Darryl Maximilian Robinson garnered attention for his well-received portrayal of the marvelous dual roles of Mr. William Cartwright, Your Chairman of The Music Hall Royale and The Mayor Thomas Sapsea of Cloisterham, England in skilled Director / Music Director Robert-Eric West's 2018 Saint Sebastian Players of Chicago Revival Production of Rupert Holmes' classic Tony Award-winning Best Musical Mystery Whodunit The Mystery of Edwin Drood presented at the lovely, more than a century old St. Bonaventure Church in the West Lakeview neighborhood of The Windy City. Mr. Robinson's performance was critically-praised, documented earlier this year by Wikipedia, and in November of 2019: The Year of Chicago Theatre, captured for him a 2019 Chicago BroadwayWorld.com Regional Theatre Award Nomination for Best Performer In A Musical or Revue ( Resident Non-Equity ). The SSP Revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood received a grand total of Seven 2019 Chicago BroadwayWorld.com Regional Theatre Award Nominations including: Best Performer In A Musical or Revue ( Resident Non-Equity ) for Sarah Myers for her fine portrayal of Edwin Drood and Miss Alice Nutting; Best Direction of A Musical or Revue ( Resident Non-Equity ) for Robert-Eric West; Best Choreography ( Resident Non-Equity ) for Tamara Drew; Best Costume Design ( Resident Non-Equity ) for Sandra Leander; Best Set Design ( Resident Non-Equity ) for Emil Zbella; and Best Ensemble of A Musical ( Resident Non-Equity ) for THE ENTIRE CAST! Those who love musical theatre performance in The Windy City that would like to honor and support the work of Mr. Robinson and his fellow nominees of Rupert Holmes' brilliant but seldom performed stage classic with their votes for this critically-praised Non-Equity professional theatre production may do so by visiting: BroadwayWorld.com Chicago Regional Theatre Awards Voting!
Darryl Maximilian Robinson upon his return to his adopted home town of Los Angeles, recently called upon his classical theatre and renaissance faire training roots and presented and recorded modern-dress,"Street Theatre" video renditions of The Bard's "Saint Crispin's Day" Speech ( as The King ) from Henry V and "Seven Ages of Man" Speech ( as Lord Jaques ) from As You Like It for his current theatrical endeavor The Excaliber Shakespeare Company Los Angeles Archival Project. Two versions of both of these classic speeches may currently be viewed on You Tube.
frame|left|PLAYING A DICKENS OF A PAIR OF ROLES IN A REVIVAL OF A TONY AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL MYSTERY CLASSIC!: King Richard's Faire ( Kenosha, Wisconsin )/ Bristol Renaissance Festival Alum, Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago Founder, Los Angeles-based theatre artist and Joseph Jefferson Citation Award-winning actor DARRYL MAXIMILIAN ROBINSON had a musical theatre performer's field day on the occasion he returned to his hometown of Chicago and appeared for the first time in 17 years ( to wonderful reviews ) and played the marvelous dual roles of The Chairman Mr. William Cartwright of The Music Hall Royale and The Honorable Mayor Thomas Sapsea in skilled director / music director ROBERT-ERIC WEST'S 2018 revival staging of multi-talented composer, lyricist, book author RUPERT HOLMES' Tony Award-winning, CHARLES DICKENS' novel-based Best Musical Mystery Whodunit "THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD" presented by THE SAINT SEBASTIAN PLAYERS CHICAGO at the lovely, more than a century old ST. BONAVENTURE CHURCH in the Lakeview neighborhood of The Windy City. Photo by SSP Production Set Designer and Decorator EMIL ZBELLA. |link=https://wcturckshelterskelter.wordpress.com/2018/08/28/solve-it-yourself-musical-mystery-of-edwin-drood-opens-saint-sebastian-players-38th-season/#respond