A Brief History of the Guild of Santa Maria

As Recalled by the former Guildmasters: Geoffry Donne, Stacey Haysler, and Bill Watters

1984 – Realizing a childhood fantasy held since he first visited the Faire as a small child in 1971, Geoffrey Donne auditions for and is cast is cast as the villainous Don Diego D’Alvarez, a Castilian knight and the Spanish Ambassador’s “swordsman enforcer” for the Queen’s Show performances at the Agoura site. A classically trained Shakespearian and improvisational actor, Geoffrey petitioned the LHC to portray his character in the spontaneous street environment as well. This was highly controversial, since no one had taken such a potentially volatile character out into the “peaceful Mayfair” environment for extended periods before. He was granted approval.

He invited his longtime friend Stuart Rogers, also a professional actor with numerous film and stage credits, to join him as a fellow Spaniard. The two bring their bloodthirsty soldiers to life, and push the limits of Faire tradition by working with their fellow performers to create conflict in their street performances, something long absent from the LHC’s brand of theatre. In no time at all, there are assassinations and inn yard brawls, arrests and debauchery, and additionally, a devil-may-care, impassioned brand of pyrotechnic street improvisation, no longer limited to the quiet, unobtrusive and often self serving “intrigue” which many performers often reveled in, but were reluctant to share with their audience. But the street is a trying environment, and the two stage performers longed for a place to call home, a sanctuary from the dust and crowds, and a place where they could utilize an actual stage to draw an audience for their improvisational performances.

They won the heart of Kathleen Bartholomew, the highly respected and beloved Guildmaster of St. Alban’s, for asylum in her Green Man Inn. Geoffrey and Stuart had quickly discovered she and her fellow inn mates welcomed the crowds the two boisterous Spaniards drew to the inn, often shutting down the street outside with the ever-gathering crowds they attracted. With her tongue firmly planted in her cheek, Kathleen asks Stuart to “audition” by reciting Inigo Montoya’s “you killed my father” speech from The Princess Bride. Geoffrey performs the closing monologue from Christopher Marlow’s “Dr. Faustus.” These renditions apparently please Kathleen, as she welcomed them as honorary members of her Guild. Geoffrey and Stuart gratefully repay her kindness by filling every seat outside the inn yard, with their unique brand of “Laurel and Hardy” Elizabethan humor, five times a day, and drawing in many other Faire performers who come to see what the commotion is all about, and pay to drink her ale while they watch.

1986 - Geoff and Stuart reprise their roles as the dastardly Spaniards, and grow their ranks by several new performers, including a wicked and humorless Spanish Countessa, complete with eye patch and bodice dagger, and attitude to boot. Dressed in black velvet and leather from head to toe, the group presents a striking physical presence, and develops a substantial following among fairgoers. The new men, most in their late 20’s, portray a small entourage accompanying Don Diego to visit England as “peace emissaries” from King Phillip of Spain. By now, their reputation as the “bad boys” (and woman) of the faire draws a great deal of attention from audience and fellow performers alike.

Many of the “old guard” performers at Faire, formerly content to reside in the shady quiet and pomp of the Queen’s Glade, now visit the inn to test their prowess in “hot” improvisational interaction, some as friendly and sympathetic Catholic characters, others who bring garrisons of armed men to attempt to “arrest and prosecute these out of control ruffians.”

A great time is had by all, most of all the audience, and gigs once held as “spontaneous” are now often carefully rehearsed and choreographed with numerous swordfights and combustive improves to entertain the growing crowds. The inn has now become the “place to go” at Faire, and security personnel are often summoned to disperse the over capacity audience who gather outside the inn yard fence.

1987 - Geoffrey and Stuart request permission from LHC to start a Spanish Guild, Los Hermanidad de Santiago. To the surprise and delight of many, they are allowed to. The Guild has eight members. Despite this seeming triumph, there are some within the Faire performers ranks who are jealous of all the attention heaped upon the fledgling group, and small forces of opposition begin to grow.

Geoffrey and Stuart are far to busy to notice this, and remain focused on providing entertainment to the paying audience, continuing to test the limits of the Faire as a “living theatre” environment. Since the “Faire year” is 1587, one year before the Spanish Armada attempts to conquer England, they ratchet up the intensity and drama in their performances. They end the year arrested by Her Majesty’s Privy Council, and are “expelled” from the country. Rather than being forcibly ejected from England under house arrest, they draw wheel lock pistols in the middle of Queen’s Glade, and with noblewomen screaming and a hundred drawn swords against them, beat their hasty retreat to their ship waiting in “harbor.”

This performance delights the enormous crowd gathered around the glade, as well as the performers in the Queen’s Court, finally, something to do other than stand about looking pretty! But some within the Faire’s ranks are not pleased, and take this level of conflict as a genuine threat to the status quo. They confuse the actors with the characters, and proceed to sew the seeds for the dissolution of the group behind the scenes.

1988 - The powers that be within the LHC decide that since it’s 1988 in real time, it must be 1588 in Faire time, and thus with the defeat of the Spanish Armada, there would be no Spaniards in England. This is the ideal justification that the forces of opposition had waited for. The new Guild is forcibly disbanded. Stuart and Geoffrey meet with their actors, all of whom want to continue the work they have been doing. The group is highly dedicated to using the Faire environment as living theatre, not just living history, and know well that the public enjoys what they have been doing. Determined not to allow a political shift to be the end, they come up with a scheme to protect the essence of what they are pursuing, but that will diffuse those utterly opposed to Spaniards at the Renaissance Faire.

Over that winter, the company formerly known as Spaniards spends countless hours in various research libraries, searching for an appropriate new identity. After several months of research, accent work and rehearsals, The Spaniards transform into The Guild of Santa Maria, the Italians. Upon their return to Faire, many greet them with the customary boos and hisses that were the Spaniard’s favorite salute. But instead of their familiar Castilian accents and attitudes, they greet all with the lilting music of Italian accents, and attitudes and character. The hostility and danger now shifts to charm, warmth, humor…and danger.

Geoffrey now portrays Don Cosimo D’Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Stuart his loyal Captain of the household guard, Don Zoranno Arrentino. The LHC powers are pleased, and even those who once opposed the Spaniards are delighted with the new Italian presence. During the workshop weekends leading up to the Faires opening, Geoffrey and Stuart are met by something they have not encountered before…over 50 people who want to audition to be part of the new Guild. The challenging process of selecting a few with the prerequisite skills begins. Several new members are cast, and some new roles created…some very young men to play squires, and several women to portray members of the household. The Italians now boast their largest cast to date, 14 members.

To help everyone remember their new nationality, they walk around handing out pieces of spaghetti (uncooked!). With the loss of their Spanish Contessa, the Guild is now all male, portraying a military personal guard to The Grand Duke of Tuscany.

1989 - With their Guild firmly established, The Italians are finally given an environmental area all their own, and over the weeks leading up to the Faire’s opening, transform the 80 by 100 foot area into the sprawling encampment of the Italian Grand Duke and his band of condotierri, elite Italian soldiers and courtiers. From this base of operations, they entertain and wreak havoc throughout the faire.

1990 - Having been asked by LHC to bring greater gender balance the Guild, women are encouraged to audition for the guild. Many are initially intimidated, but many are not, and a small group of women give strong auditions. Of those accepted, anly two make the comittment, and one of them drops out after the first weekend. The other, Stacey Hassler stays, and the all male guild soon discovers what it had been missing! Suddenly the Guild owns dishes, eats the most lavish banquets in its history, the backstage area is immaculate, and finds itself functioning on a much tighter schedule instead of Italian Standard Time. The first female member faces a number of challenges in dealing with the boys’ club; however, after proving herself in the kitchen, on the stage, and with a sword, the men relax and start to accept the fact that maybe having a woman around isn’t so bad after all. That summer, several members of the Guild attend SLO faire as individuals, but still manage to create enough of an Italian presence that everyone else just assumes the entire Guild is there.

Geoffrey and Stuart mutually agree that seven years devoted to the Faire has fulfilled their aspirations, and that they need more time to focus on their blossoming professional careers. With some hesitation, they decide to make an exit as they made their entrance…with a bang.

Drawing loosely from the historical events that ended the career of a great Renaissance Italian General, they work with the German Guild, their long-time “rivals” for the Queen’s attention, and devise their dramatic end game. On the last day of Faire, a particularly hot and overcrowded afternoon, Cosimo is on procession with his entire company throughout the Faire, when he approaches a wide field. As he and his Captain walk into the field for a quick conference away from the men, a long row of German musket men rise from the thick grass, with fuses burning. Several of Cosimo’s bodyguards race to his side, but it is too late, no less than 13 musket shots ring out. Cosimo and his Captain lie motionless as screams echo through the Queen’s Court.

An enormous audience gathers around the fallen men, as Cosimo’s bodyguards spirit him to his encampment. There, longtime Guildmember Pax, in a moving portral of Cosimo’s personal physician, openly weeps as he performs an amputation of fallen Grand Duke’s leg behind a dirty sheet on the main banquet table. More than a hundred performers and audience members gather aghast around the Italian camp as Cosimo finally surrenders to his wounds. The women of court outdid themselves that day, nearly all of them fainting dead away as a messenger arrived with the news. Geoffrey, not wanting to miss his own death, dashed backstage and shaved off his beard, changing into a squire’s uniform. He lead his own solem death procession as the members of the Guild carried Cosimo’s silk swathed “body” to the edge of the lake and set him out to sea. Only local law kept Stuart from firing a flaming crossbow onto the raft to set it ablaze. Actors…what can you do?

1991 - Geoffrey, Stuart, and a number of the original members retire from faire, and ask Stacey if she would like to assume the challenging role of Guildmaster. Stacey accepts and the Guild holds new auditions. With the Guild now headed by a welcoming female role model, female membership dramatically expands. The Guild survives a tumultuous transition season on probation by LHC, and goes on to diversify its presence, including its first official appearance at SLO faire and San Marcos faire. Still not an official Guild at RPFN, the Italians are graciously allowed by Kathleen to “move home” to St. Alban’s.

1992 - Still on probation, the Guild solidifies its presence and its theatrical direction. Given the year, it’s a no-brainer to use a Christopher Columbus theme when LHC requires all Guilds to present a pageant. LHC officials are so taken with the pageant, written by our very own Michael Zielinski, that the Guild wins the “Best Pageant” award that year. The Guild continues making appearances at other faires. Pax Smith auditions for and wins the role of the Spanish Ambassador at RPFN, a role he retains at RPFS for several years as well, keeping alive the grand tradition of our founding fathers. The RPFN Italians work through St. Alban’s, and host some of the most entertaining luncheons seen in years.

1993 - Continuing on probation with LHC (longer than any other Guild!), the Guild also continues to sharpen its theatrical presence and historical depth. We also participate as the Court at an event in Indio, presenting the court of the Gonzaga. No pictures exist to document this, however, as the second day of the event started with a mini-hurricane, prompting the evacuation of many of the participants and vendors from the site. At RPFN, LHC sets new, smaller caps on the number of members for each official Guild; through the kindness of Rory Downward, the Italians find a place with the court of St. George, being helpful with Queens progress by helping provide additional security around the procession. The Northerners are asked to come help out at a new faire called Folsom, providing the same security services.

1994 - Finally off probation, the Guild achieves a level of relaxation and inspired theatricality, which amazes even Stacey, who finally can sleep at night. As a sign of real acceptance, Stacey applies for and is allowed to start the Guild officially at RPFN. To no one’s surprise, given that Stacey is at that point living with the Guildmaster of St. Brigid’s, the Italians sublet space from the Scots at Northern Faire and set up house. The Northern California arm of the guild along with a few other individuals begins to be involved under the name "Northwind", and begins to operate as a security and parade control team.

1995 - LHC decides that “Italians are not an essential element for an accurate representation of the Renaissance” and cut Santa Maria from the roster at RPFS. Several members who wish to continue working the event “move home” to St. Alban’s; Kathleen’s yard is once again filled with “them funny ferriners.” The Guild continues at RPFN, again sharing space with St. Brigid’s Guild. Northwind continues to have an uncanny resemblence to Santa Maria, and the first setup of a simple encampment is done at the Central Coast Renaissance Faire using Stacey's pavillion. Differences in views on the direction the Northern members comes to a head and ties are cut with the Southen members.

1996 - The Guild is cut from RPFN. Several members find refuge in other Guilds. The Southern California members split off and form their own Guild, San Lorenzo. The Northern California members of the Guild retain the Santa Maria name and continue to develop our presence on the circuit, working security, performing, and assisting event producers with logistics, planning, etc.

1997 - 2000 Santa Maria continues to perform at and behind the scenes of faires all over Northern California - and Valhalla, of course. In May 2000. Stacey retires as Guildmaster to move to England. Bill Watters steps up to fill the Guildmaster boots.

2000 - Present The Guild continues to participate in new events. We’re now 40 members strong, and pride ourselves on the historical and theatrical quality of our shows, continuing the tradition begun by Geoffrey Donne and Stuart Rogers…lo those many years ago.