Bristol Renaissance Faire Reviews

Pros

Fun. Great pay. Good people

Cons

Hot. Long hours. Seasonal. Costumes

Pros

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.

Pros

It was a fun place to work!

Cons

Not enough work to do in the office which will be held against you

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.

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.

Pros

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.)

Pros

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.

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.

Pros

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

Pros

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.