Bristol Renaissance Faire Reviews
Updated Sep 10, 2021
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Found 15 of over 15 reviews
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Top Review Highlights by Sentiment
- KEY NOT FOUND: jobLine.seasonal-former★★★★★
Pros
Fun. Great pay. Good people
Cons
Hot. Long hours. Seasonal. Costumes
Continue reading - KEY NOT FOUND: jobLine.seasonal-former, less than 1 year★★★★★
A solid seasonal position, but chaotic as time wore on
Aug 13, 2021 - KEY NOT FOUND: reviews.seasonal-anonymousRecommendCEO ApprovalBusiness OutlookPros
The interview process was quick and easy. I'm not sure if they were looking at anyone else for the position, but they didn't hesitate when making a hiring decision.
Cons
Goes through employees quickly, without replacing them. Can get hectic for employees trying to keep up with constantly changing responsibilities.
Continue reading - KEY NOT FOUND: jobLine.seasonal-former★★★★★
Need better management
Sep 10, 2021 - Office Assistant in Kenosha, WIRecommendCEO ApprovalBusiness OutlookPros
It was a fun place to work!
Cons
Not enough work to do in the office which will be held against you
Continue reading - Former Employee★★★★★
Pros
There really weren't any, I didn't work there by choice.
Cons
It's hot, the costuming is uncomfortable, most patrons are drunk, and I didn't get paid by my employer.
- Former Contractor, more than 5 years★★★★★
Pros
-Mostly supportive community -Entertainment training -Learning experiences
Cons
-Pay is terrible with the demands placed on participants. -Treatment of performers is abhorrent. -You do not get a creative say in anything you do. You must adhere to their stock character ideas like a Disneyland costume character. -Any individual creative input is shot down and you are punished for it. -If you are not visibly happy and smiley and positive on or off stage ALL THE TIME, you are forced to disclose to your entire team any personal and sensitive situation that you may be going through. -Leadership is only focused on money and how many patrons can come in the gates. -Management is sexist. -Favorites are definitely played. -Families are placed in management power and those personal relationships place other performers in uncomfortable situations. -That being said, unless you are in one of those families or sleeping with a member of one of those families, then you will not advance very far.
Continue reading - Former Employee, more than 5 years★★★★★
I still have fond memories of this place
Apr 19, 2014 - Security Guard in Kenosha, WIRecommendCEO ApprovalBusiness OutlookPros
The fair makes an exceptional boot camp like experience for any would be actor! Not to mention, you will certainly be leaving this place with plenty of useful social skills and improvisational abilities that will be very useful for other kinds of employment.
Cons
For most, it can be a bit costly to make your way here every weekend throughout the summer. And the rules as of late for both volunteers and employees alike have recently gotten rather restrictive as of late (albite with good reason.)
Continue reading - Current Contractor, more than 8 years★★★★★
A wonderful community and experience.
Oct 17, 2014 - Anonymous Contractor in Kenosha, WIRecommendCEO ApprovalBusiness OutlookPros
The Faire makes a job of helping its participants feel part of the family. People who become pass holders find a new world of supportive, like minded people. Participants in the entertainment department also receive training in performance styles and history relevant to the faire.
Cons
Most of the faire is supported by volunteer participants so it is rare to find a paying position. Those who are paid are often paid an honorarium of some small amount. Those who join the faire as the employee of a shop, merchant or food vendor often make a reasonable wage.
Continue reading - Current Contractor, more than 10 years★★★★★
Pros
Tight knit community that supports its members year round; rewarding, fun performance experience; beautiful environment. As long as you can keep the stress/commitment level at "fun weekend hobby", and set firm boundaries for yourself, it's a great gig. I've been walking this line for many years because I love the work so much.
Cons
Huge time/energy commitment for little or no pay. Management is often disorganized and unprofessional themselves, and yet they demand high levels of commitment and professionalism from the (volunteer or very low paid) performers. Pay is too low and time commitment too great for the gig to be prioritized over LITERALLY anything else that might appear, so people are constantly dropping out, leaving those who remain to scramble to pick up the slack. Because the actual work is so fun, the workers are vulnerable to exploitation. Management are severely understaffed themselves, so even when their intentions are good it's nearly impossible for them to do a good job, and conflicts of interest are rampant as many managers are required to do several different jobs at once, with no buffer or checks and balances. Recent efforts at diversity and inclusion are admirable, but ham-handed and insensitive, leading the "diversity hires" to feel singled out and tokenized. A culture of ribaldry and baudy humor lends itself to the festive atmosphere of the show, but can become very irritating or downright creepy when engaged in "backstage"/during off hours around people who don't do that kind of work. The requirement for "positivity at all costs" can lead to people being needlessly penalized/pushed out for having any kind of issue, even if they are the victim or it's not in their control, though I think management may be aware of this issue and be slowly trying to better it. VERY vicious taboo about talking to anyone about your pay/lack thereof and comparing salaries, which is technically legal as we're all contractors, but certainly shady and nefarious.
Continue reading - Former Contractor, more than 10 years★★★★★
Great place to gain experience
Jun 15, 2013 - Anonymous ContractorRecommendCEO ApprovalBusiness OutlookPros
Co-workers (cast) are wonderful and often become second family Free history and performance classes to anyone in current cast Great immersion experience that provides unique experience outside of typical performances and jobs
Cons
Most performers don't get paid and have to provide own costumes Long days outside Have to commit to 5 weekends of rehearsals and 9 weekends of performance
Continue reading - Former Contractor, more than 5 years★★★★★
Stay away if you are a true artist...
Jul 11, 2017 - Anonymous Contractor in Kenosha, WIRecommendCEO ApprovalBusiness OutlookPros
Get good photos for your portfolio; knowing that you can affect one person's life or make someone's day just from one simple interaction.
Cons
POLITICS. Terrible, horrible management. Sexist management team. Offensively low pay. They take advantage of people's passion for the art. Your artistic opinions don't matter. All about money and commercialism.
Continue reading
Bristol Renaissance Faire Reviews FAQs
Bristol Renaissance Faire has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 15 reviews left anonymously by employees. 58% of employees would recommend working at Bristol Renaissance Faire to a friend and 42% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.
58% of Bristol Renaissance Faire employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated Bristol Renaissance Faire 2.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.2 for culture and values and 3.1 for career opportunities.
According to reviews on Glassdoor, employees commonly mention the pros of working at Bristol Renaissance Faire to be coworkers, career development and the cons to be benefits, diversity and inclusion, management.
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