How do you feel about 'First Person'?

[The Doctor]

It seems that people either feel comfortable doing a 'first person' style interpretation or they don't. For those that don't know, First person is meant to put the "acting" back in reenacting. It does not by any means have to be staged or scripted. It is simply the individual playing a "persona" of his own creation and interacting with others on those terms.

Sometimes you'll even run into folks who use this same method to portray a real historical figure ie Geo. Washington, Abe Lincoln etc.

I got into doing first person based on my childhood love of role-playing and acting out. I was also a habitual liar as a child, which seems to aid in the 'story-telling' process.

Originally, my first person character of the 'Schoolmaster' (my character before 'the Doctor' came along) was just a slightly modified version of myself with an English accent. I didn't adopt a new character's name or anything, I basically just played myself but tried to adopt the language and mannerisms of the typical 18th Century man. I later added the accent because I would tell people that I was originally 'from England', and one day a woman called me on it saying, "You don't SOUND like you're from England". She was right.

For even MORE on the subject, check out my two part report on "How the Doctor was born":

manskerman1780.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-doctor-was-born.html

manskerman1780.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-doctor-was-born-part-2.html

When I decided that I wanted to start doing the Regency Era, I put ALOT more thought into the character I wanted to portray FIRST. Then I started to visualize the clothing that character would be wearing and so forth. The "Regency Doctor" is MUCH more detailed in his character than the "Colonial Doctor".

So now, let's talk about it. Tell me where you are and how you feel about it...

Have you ever tried 'first person'?

Do you have a persona? If so, how did you develop it?

Have you ever been around others who did 'first person'?

What did you like about it? What did you dislike?

[esther]

I have nothing but the utmost respect for people who are able to do a first person interpretation well, but it just does not work for me. I tend to be withdrawn and conversation does not come easily to me when I am around people I am not familiar with. I also have solitary tendencies. Sometimes so much so, that people have told me that they thought I was unfriendly before they actually got to know me. I'm more of a fun-loving goof than anything, I just tend to be shy around people outside my circle of friends.

When I add trying to do a first-person interpretation on top of my personality traits, it tends to make me painfully self-aware. So much so, that I withdraw even more.

I also tend to be my own worst critic and am very introspective and tend to tear apart things that I do. I'll start to wonder what the more authentic people think of me and if I'm just making a fool of myself.

This tends to take the fun and comfort out of re-enacting for me, so I don't do first person. I think if I'm not enjoying myself, then I shouldn't be wasting my precious spare time, monkey, efforts, etc. on it.

But, I'm perfectly fine doing third person. Give me a cook fire, sewing or anything else to occupy my over-active brain and my hands and I can talk about what I'm doing comfortably for hours.

As for others who do first person persona, I think it is very interesting and entertaining when done well. I admire those people who take the time and effort to create a good persona. But, when done poorly a first person interpretation can be horrible.

There is fine line one treads when doing a first person interpretation. Unless it can be done well, it can be very distracting. There has to be a suspension of disbelief for it to be done well. I've heard my share of people trying to do accents that end up sounding like a Monty Python skit or a Count Chocula commercial and it just ruins it for me.

I also think first person can be very daunting to the public. I've been to historic sites where it has made me feel like I'm intruding or that I can't ask questions about the site or get a straight answer, which can be frustrating.

First person can be difficult to do correctly and difficult to make others feel comfortable in your presence. Again, I have utmost respect for those that can do first person well because it is not easy. Personally, I never quite know how to interact with people doing first person impressions, so I tend to clam up. But, that is not because of what the the other person is doing, it's because of my own personality and my own self-confidence. I guess I'm much happier by myself at re-enactments staring at butterflies in the woods or at stars in the night sky, thinking about the latest thing I've read.

[Miss Waterman]

Esther; I can completely relate! I started this hobby by being more interested in the pretty costumes than anything else- and then the best thing in the world happened to me. I attended my first Ren Fair dressed out and made the most lucky group of friends I could, and with a specific guild. They taught me improv which as a re-enactor is the most important skill to have! I attended numerous workshops on language, and did MANY workshops on physical characterization and exercises in thinking on your feet with what information I knew. With all of that, though, I am still very shy and its been at least five years. What can work well in your favor is creating a persona who is very shy! It gives you a good excuse to remain shy, while also working your legs and easing into the first person a little more. Though, I can completely understand if the draw is not there for you at all : )

As for the frustrating and alienating first person interactions you have had, well, they are just doing a poor job of it! there is absolutely a way to find a middle ground in being true to the persona and legitimately answering curiosities, it just takes practice.

[esther]

Along with time, research and effort, I think one must have a certain skill to pull off first person well. While I enjoy the research, creation process, etc., I'm afraid that I lack the certain skill needed to pull it off well.

I'm curious about those of you that do first person personas, how do you interact with other re-enactors at events that aren't doing first person? Does it make for odd or uncomfortable situations? For the most part, I'm around re-enactors that do not do first person interpretations at events. To tell you the truth, I'm never quite sure how to act around the few people that are doing first person interpretations. I tend to stay away for fear of making a fool of myself and also because I don't want to ruin their efforts.

How do you bridge the gap of being at events where you are more than likely one of the few people doing a first person interpretation? How does it effect your interactions with others? Do you just ignore the differences? What's it like on the other side?

[Mme de Beaufort]

One of the lessons I've learned in my experience with the ORS and RSA is that there are so many shades of involvement and committment to the period from the participants.

We have people who care mostly for dance, and just like to dress up and dance because they feel like they're in an Austen adaptation; we have hard-core reenactors who hand stitch every garment lovingly, spend the extra money for period-spectacles and who spend the entire event in their own group because they are in 'persona' and do not wish to go out of character to talk about modern things. We have people who are into it for the fascination with costume and for so many other reasons.

I personally can slip in and out of character if I wished, but since I'm always required to put out fires and take tickets and money, and to be social with new members, I really am limited in what I can do in the 'reenactment' world. That is why the Le Bon Ton group rarely come to events and do mostly their own thing, and I can understand that completely. If they want to be their characters wholly at events, it requires everyone else to play along, and that isn't always the case.

I'm a writer, so I find it easy to dream up personas to play. I wish sometimes I had time and energy to 1) sew all my garments by hand and 2) really delve into the spirit of Elise and become her. Instead, she's mostly just a bunch of words on paper for now.

[nomadicdragon]

I am not particularly fond of "First Person". Mostly because while I adore the Regency period, I adore going to events in appropriate attire and having fun with others. I want to be able to have discussions and conversations about a wide variety of topics and not be restricted by their or my own persona. I have enough trouble remembering names/specifics about people without having to worry about a different character, etc.

Also, since I spent the first 7 years of my life in the UK and my mother was raised in the UK and has the most lovely soft Oxford accent, I can't get past bad British accents.

[The Doctor]

I HAVE found that my reenactor friends (and occasionally the public) sometimes don't seem to know what to say to me when I am in first person, and the LAST thing I want to do is alienate them or make them feel bad for not joining in.

Instead what I sometimes end up doing is a sort of modified first person so that they can feel included. They're much more prone to join in when they feel like they can 'keep up'.

One of the fun things I enjoy doing is changing the names of places that my friends all know so that they'll know what I'm talking about (not a trick I invented btw, just carried on)

So if I want to ask a friend if they bought something on Ebay, I might say, "And did you happen to purchase that fine item at the East Bay Auction house?"

And there are any number of ways you can do this... some of the examples I've heard. See if you can figure out what I'm talking about here, I used every one of these at events.

"I took my breakfast at the Scottish Tavern on my way here."

"I purchased these shoes at Mr. Walton's Trading Post."

"I dined at Miss Wendiline's house last evening."

"I believe that I may have seen your page in the Book of Faces, I particularly enjoyed the illustrations!"

This is an easy way to eliminate the modern sounding things from your 'regency talk' without actually eliminating them from you conversation.

Another thing I can't abide are the Monty Python-esque accents, good or bad, they make me cringe. Fortunately, an accent isn't REQUIRED to tackle a first person character... but they certainly help if you can do one. There were plenty of second and third generation Americans here during the period that would have lost most of their accent and adopted more of a regional American accent.

[Eleanor]

I've done similar things, though I admit I've not used such creative names. :-) I'll have to give that a try!

I will say things like, "I went to a show last night," or "to the theatre" when I saw a movie. Rather than say I used the phone, I just say I "called on" someone, or just "talked to" whoever. If I received email, I've "had a letter" or a "message" from someone.

You can do a lot by just not mentioning modern things by name.

[The Major]

I have been doing living history for going on more years than I want to admit to and have done first person numerous times. I will say that my preference is third person because it is much easier, but I also have fun with what we call modified first person where you're in first person until a question/answer or subject just cannot be given in first person so I take a physical step or two (enough to be obvious to whom I am speaking with) and drop to third person and when I can I physically step back to where I was before and go right back into first person.

I have always been more comfortable doing first person if there is a chance for preparation. Not a script, but at least discuss ahead of time as to what will take place, what topics will be discussed, or at least the general scenario. Obviously there will be some improvisation in the course of the scenario or conversation, but I have not usually been comfortable and usually avoid a complete improvised first person session.

For example: When I perform in a duel, I usually portray one of the duelists because there is usually nothing for me to say. In a duel, the two seconds do all the talking for their principals. (Also, as an aside I have been a competition shooter and not to brag but I am quite good as a shooter and can portray that part fairly well as a result.) So if can do first person with no lines to speak, I'm fine with it, otherwise I want preparation.

My short answer is that I can do first person, but prefer not to unless there is a briefing ahead of time and the scenario is not to deviate from what was discussed.

[Eleanor]

Most of the time, I am among friends who are all interested in playing at being their persona. With no public to interact with, we do it just for fun, and if someone misspeaks it is not a big deal.

In another group I'm in, my persona is a Russian noblewoman from the 12th century. That group does demos from time to time for schools, libraries and the like. In those situations, I do find it more difficult to remain in the first person persona. Luckily, a friend of mine and I worked out a scenario that worked pretty well. I would take the stage and say, "Привет. Как дела? Вы говорите на русском языке?" I would, as expected, get blank stares. So I would motion to my friend who would then come out and translate for me. Since I don't actually speak more than a few phrases in Russian these days, I would simply speak quietly to her, and she would "translate" what I was saying, usually explaining what I was wearing, where I was from, what life was like in Medieval Russia, etc. It seemed to amuse our audience.

And I completely understand about the bad accent issue. As my Russian self, there is nothing worse than hearing someone doing a cheesy Chekov accent.

[The Major]

While I do living history for the public, and have been for years, out of site of the public is something I have been wanting to pursue for quite some time and have been looking for a good group that does so. Something for just those doing it in an atmosphere where, as Eleanor mentions, if someone makes a mistake it's no big deal. Or even just to be in the dress of the period, and do the activities as they were done using period items - I guess doing living history but without the public.

[Eleanor]

Major, this is exactly what I long for, and hope our little group becomes.

[The Major]

May 3, 2011 16:03:47 GMT -5 Eleanor said:

Major, this is exactly what I long for, and hope our little group becomes.

And fair lady, the reason why I hope to participate with your group. It is felt that sometimes living history can and should be for ones own personal enjoyment, learning, and growth. Not to mention meeting new gentlepeople and making new friends. Then, when or if it is brought before the public, the entire experience is enhanced for all.

Cheers

[katherine15]

I love first person! I have playing many different personas in another group and only once have I found it uncomfortable. At a local museum here I was a tour guide, years ago, and every year I changed my outfit to a different era the house had been around and could tell visitors what was going on at that particular time period. I think it adds to the experience, but this is like any other hobby or interest... putting in as much or as little is a personal choice...if you want to "become (insert name)" or just want to wear the pretty clothes it's up to you...I will say that sometimes "being" one of my personas really did give me more confidence to more speaking at a public demo...

[Miss Cecily]

I have yet to experience doing first person, but I do love the idea of it! I have a wild imagination naturally, so I think it will be fairly easy for me to do. I think of how amazing it would be to be an actress in period dramas, but then I think of all the negatives that come with acting as well. So, as I am very reserved, I figure that historical re-enactment is a wonderful way to act, without the media and such following me around.