Fishers hosts annual Renaissance Faire
Fishers hosts annual Renaissance Faire
Thursday, September 29, 2011 - Indy Star
By: Betsy Reason
Experience the golden age of Queen Elizabeth, watch Shakespearean vignettes, laugh at the tomfoolery of roving fairies and villagers, witness some jousting and learn how to march like a pikeman.
You can do all of that and more Oct. 1-2 at the Fishers Renaissance Faire. The Age of Romance and Chivalry is this year's theme.
The fair, a fundraiser for the Sister Cities Association of Fishers, is set in 1579 Billericay, England. More than 200 costumed actors educate and entertain as they talk in the dialect of that time and offer guests period food and diversion.
This year, the seventh-annual fair moves to the Saxony development, off Exit 10 at I-69. The event started at Fishers Heritage Park and in its third year, moved to Conner Prairie Interactive History Park.
The move to a larger venue is proof of the community's interest in the festival, which organizers say attracts professional players as well as visitors from hundreds of miles away.
"We wanted more space. This particular area is more convenient from a parking standpoint," said Adam Fivush, the fair's chairman. Saxony offers more centralized parking, easier accessibility, better visibility and flexibility to expand.
Fivush is part of the Hey Nonny Nonny Players, which he formed in the fair's first year with his wife, Andrea, and friends Hershel Segal and Neal Porter. Fivush and his wife, who had been involved in a number of Renaissance-style fairs, did an impromptu comedy bit at the open casting call. Soon he found himself on the planning committee.
They call themselves "rennies," or renaissance people who dress up in period costumes for any fair occasion. They know songs, and they have an accent and oftentimes an act.
That first year, the Hey Nonny Nonny Players performed an interactive comedy show, "The Master Maid of Norway." The second year, they were joined by Alexandra Springman and became the Pirates of the Luna Sea, adding stage combat to their shows.
Over the years, members have come and gone. Segal got married, and his wife, Alexandra, is expecting a child in January. Ashley Chance joined the group in 2009. Today, the Segals, Fivushes and Chance make up the troupe.
While the fair offers many of its returning acts, it's added new acts, a new performance area and a beer garden, Fivush said.
