Bristol Renaissance Faire

Do you want to see blood? exhorts Squire William to a chorus of affirmation, "Well, WE DON'T HAVE ANY OF THAT!"  That's right -- after nearly twenty years of Renaissance stunt-fights based on the seminal New York Joust of 1977, the newly-christened Knights of Gloriana (fka Heroes And Villains), in response to an audience poll clamoring for less violence, have mounted a horses-swords-and steel-suit spectacle based more on athletic than on martial display.  Under the direction of Lloyd Clark, the knights are now arranged in squads and spectators encouraged to cheer for Team Wolf or Team Griffin, one of which purports to  represent the courtiers and the other, the townspeople -- dispensing with the traditional good guys vs. bad guys dynamic.

The events are divided into the equivalent of playoffs, and the victory is won on points scored rather than foes slain. This doesn't diminish the action -- "the louder you cheer, the harder they hit!" -- as armored men clash in combat until one falls, at which time all play ceases.  Nor are the players uniformly wholesome, the professional-sports analogy allowing for McEnroe and Rodman-style grandstanding.

Recognizing their responsibilities as role-models, however, the knights make frequent visits to the Children's sector of the Fairegrounds, where they lecture on weapon safety, discouraging the impromptu skirmishes engendered by the sale of wooden swords to active youngsters.  (What about the champion's traditional ringside selection of his "Queen of Love and Beauty"? "Six years old max" declares Clark).

Whether this Super Bowl Joust will prove successful with fans accustomed to more graphic fantasy-spectacle remains to be seen, and further development of individual personalities will be needed if the knights are to inspire the emotional investment that makes for audience involvement, but there is no denying the originality of Gloriana's innovative break with conventional practice in this most specialized of kinetic arts.