ENTERTAINMENT 2011

2 Merry Men 7 Deadly Sins - Pig & Whistle Tavern (Rated R) (all season)

Spin the “Wheel of Sin” and join Robin Hood and Little John as they sing you all the songs that you love so well. Twisted comedy and music, definitely not for the kiddies. Laugh and sing along with songs of burning pubs, dock side floozies, and yes…even a song about Moose. Just remember, what happens in the woods…STAYS in the woods! Visit 2 Merry Men's Website

3 Pints Gone - (weekend 6 & 8 plus Sat. Aug. 20) (NEW)

Playing Celtic traditional-style folk songs and sea shanties, their distinctive sound is full of high energy and harmony-rich arrangements.  They entertain by telling stories through the songs, that leave the audience feeling like old friends. Come have a drink old friend, they are already 3 pints gone! Visit 3 Pints Gone's Website

Bawdy Beautiful - Pig & Whistle Tavern (weekends 1-6 ONLY)

Join Craig of Farrington, and his friends the New Minstrel Revue, for a show filled with music to titillate and delight. Performing faire favorites as well as a few classic tunes, this show is a Bristol favorite and should not be missed. Come to the Pig & Whistle, hoist a drink, and sing along with the Bawdy Beautiful.

Billy Miller – Pig & Whistle (weekend 8 & 9 ONLY)

“The flute is not an instrument which has a good moral effect. It is too exciting.” – Aristotle

Master flautist Billy Miller returns to Bristol to help celebrate the end of our season with timeless music and enchanting melodies. Visit Billy Miller's Website

Billy Miller & Misti Bernard – Fountainside & Pig & Whistle (weekend 9 ONLY) (NEW)

With boundless joy and a sweeping timelessness that will haunt your memory, this is music in its truest form. The joy and magic of instrument and voice as they intertwine. Come join us for our closing weekend and take away a farewell kiss in the form of the music of Billy Miller and Misti Bernard.

Bluebeard’s Pressgang Pageant (weekends 1-4 & 6-9 ONLY) (NEW)

Have you ever wanted to be a pirate and cruise the sea? Are you interested in sailing upon a modern, rat-free, leak-proof ship? Then step right up and be interviewed. Captain Bluebeard is hiring his new crew and now is your moment to seize the opportunity. Interested parties will be interviewed live (as opposed to the alternative) on-stage in front of the other perspective crew. Join the fun and laughter while you  earn your certificate that marks you as one of the select sailors for the Captain’s next voyage.

Bounding Main - Midsummer Stage & Trader’s Cove (weekends 5 & 6 ONLY)

Bounding Main is a costumed vocal group that sings richly harmonic versions of traditional maritime songs. Their shows are filled with spirit, humor and harmony; their arrangements of traditional nautical music bring the listener into the world of pirates, adventure and romance. Visit Bounding Main's Website

Breakfast With the Brass – Globe Stage (all season)

Start the morning off with an infusion of music that will carry you throughout the day. Bristol’s Royal Brass is a team of master musicians who play their way through a morning set that both provokes and invigorates. Awaken the dawn and have cup of Breakfast with the Brass.

Courtly Consorte - Shakespeare's Meadow (Saturdays 7/23, 8/6, 8/20 & 9/3 ONLY)

Come join Courtly Consorte, a majestic recorder ensemble with festive vocals to please your ears. Their music is rounded out with guitar, mandolin, or bodhran to make a relaxing and entertaining time at the fair for the whole family. Stroll thru Shakespeare's meadow to visit Courtly Consorte and lend thine ear to the music of the Renaissance.Visit Courtly Consorte's MySpace Page

Craig of Farrington - Fountainside Music Stage (all season)

A wandering minstrel, specializing in love songs and bawdy songs. Craig of Farrington has been a fixture of Bristol since our inaugural season and continues to delight lovers and sweethearts with songs to bring them closer together. This delightful balladeer can be found wandering the lanes throughout the festival. Stop, listen, and learn to love. Visit Craig's Website

Cutlass Cooking: Pantry Parley - Kids Kingdom Stage (all season)

Place pirates, a chest, and cooking utensils on a stage. Mix well and let form into outrageous comedy! The Hawser family set out to make dinner in the strangest cooking show ever to sail the seven seas. Fun for the whole family!

Cutlass Cooking: Party Panic - Kids Kingdom Stage (all season)

Her Majesty is coming and the Hawser family are desperately trying to prepare a party fit for a Queen. Can a pair of bilge rats prepare a Royal Spectacle?  Seriously, can they? Come laugh along as they make the brave attempt.

Cutlass Cooking: Tenderized Tales - Kids kingdom Stage (all season) (NEW)

What do you get when you take Goldilocks, some pigs, a dash of Rapunzel, three magic beans, a girl in a red cape, and some really angry birds? Everyone knows how the classic stories are told. Everyone, that is, except for the Hawser family. Join the Hawsers onstage while they set out to tell a story or two, often at the same time.

Dan the Bard (all season)

Teller of tales, singer of songs, master of musical humor Dan walks the land, singing songs, telling tales, and doing good deeds. Listen to the tale of the “Drunken Gnome Illusionist.” Learn why a mouse, a bird, and a sausage are doomed to death! Be sure to look for Dan near the RenQuest™ encampment and ask about this one time…at Bard camp…. Visit Dan the Bard's Website

Danse Macabre (all season - weather permitting)

The mysterious and elusive Danse Macabre is both a celebration of life and a grim reminder of our mortality. Weather permitting, the restless dead of Bristol will arise near the end of the faire day for a performance that must be seen to be believed.

The Dread Crew of Oddwood - Midsummer Stage & Cheshire Chase (weekends 1-3 ONLY)

You demanded it, and Oddwood delivers! This July, in celebration of their upcoming music video for “Queen’s Decree,” they are embarking on their second national tour. This month long endeavor includes a triumphant return to the Bristol Renaissance for three full weekends! Be a part of Dread Crew history and join them! Visit The Dread Crew's Website

Drum Jam with the Great Antone – Lord Mayor’s Forum (all season)

The air fills with the booming rhythms of the drums. The ground shakes with the pounding of dancing feet. Bring your drum and join the jam, or clap, stomp, whistle, dance and shout along. The roaring crescendo of a day at Bristol, where the thunder of drums fuses with the crashing waves of dance to form the sound and fury that is the Bristol Drum Jam.

Dylan Robertson (all season) (NEW)

Meet Bristol’s newest homegrown sensation. Whimsical, wonderful and always witty, Dylan Robertson’s music captures the simple enchantment of the faire and encapsulates it within a myriad of musical mirth. Visit Dylan Robertson's Facebook Page

Gypsy Guerilla Band - St. John’s Crossing (all season)

Once more filling the streets of Bristol with music, it's not an invasion, it's a celebration of international music! The Gypsy Guerrilla Band is on the road year-round with their "Hit and Run Music." Band members think like gypsies in their range of cultural influences, and like guerrillas in their aggressive approach to traditional instruments. Hammered dulcimer, autoharp, kalimba, and Irish whistle create a hard-driving sound and bring new life to old-time, folk and ethnic music; the result is a repertoire characterized by big-spirited variety. They're committed to music that will unify, entertain, and fire up people's imaginations. Visit Gypsy Guerilla Band's Website

photo: Brian Clark

The Hanlon-Lees Action Theater - Royal Mews Joust Arena (all season)

Cheer your favorite Knight in battle! Our brave Knights charge their competition on horseback at an astonishing 30 miles per hour! This is a full-on fast - paced event sure to please the whole family.
You may root for your Hero at the Bristol Royal Mews Joust Arena. 12:00 is the Joust of Skill, 3:00 is the Royal Joust for Her Majesty the Queen and 5:30 is the Joust to the Death! Visit the Hanlon-Lees Website

Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak. Jock Stewart’s warm, comforting voice and tender guitar playing will take you away to a time when the troubadour’s music was truly art, and the art was truly magical. Whether performing solo or as a part of 3 Pints Gone, Jock Stewart  continues to delight faire-goers season after season.

Kenny Klein (weekends 4 & 6 ONLY)

As a young man Kenny spent time in the Appalachians and in Europe, where he learned Bluegrass, Old Timey, Irish and Gypsy fiddling. Author, lecturer and musician Kenny Klein returns to the Bristol Renaissance Faire this season to enchant a new audience. Blending a mixture of classical violin and gypsy fiddle into a single, breathtaking, fusion of heart and soul these are songs that you will find yourself wanting to revisit again and again. Visit Kenny Klein's Website

Lauryn Murray - Shakespeare's Meadow (weekends 4 & 5 ONLY) (NEW)

Aerial Silk Fantasy -  Lauryn Murray graces the floor and nimbly climbs the precarious heights of silk, appearing as though gravity were merely a suggestion, not reality.  Lauryn's beauty, grace and skill will awe the young and old alike as she floats effortlessly 30 feet above Shakespeare's Meadow near the RenQuest encampment.

photo: Brian Clark

Maxx & Mauldron - Globe Stage (all season) (NEW)

Two Knights At The Opera.
Direct from the joust the notorious Sir Maxmillian and Sir Mauldron get off their high horses and present a comedic and melodic yet delightfully inept presentation on their rather skewed concept of chivalry.

Molly & the Tinker - Pig & Whistle Tavern (weekends 1-3 ONLY)

The musical and comedy styling of Molly & the Tinker have been a staple at Bristol since the beginning. Our audiences have wonderful memories of singing with them, laughing with them, and spending some precious time with them. This year, this beloved duo are retiring from Bristol. After twenty-five years performing as Molly & the Tinker, their final bow at the Pig & Whistle will be July 24th. Come and sing one last song before they go. You will never regret it and will always remember the musical magic. Visit Molly & The Tinker's Website

New Minstrel Revue - Various Stages (weekends 1-6 ONLY)

As The New Minstrel Revue, Jerry Barry, J. Bradley Collier and Thomas Nuendel have traveled all across America sharing their unique mixture of original and traditional music to exited and appreciative audiences. With a focus on vocal harmonies and a high level of musicianship these seasoned performers are consistently finding new ways to make you laugh, make you cry, or make you want to get drunk and start a band. NMR are joined on their newest CD, Big Blue Sea, by some of the finest folk musicians anywhere, performing on a set of 13 original and traditional favorites. Visit the New Minstrel Revue's Website

Ogham - Fountainside Stage (all season)

Ogham (pronounced om) features multi-instrumentalists and vocalists T.J. Hull and Amanda Caretta-Hull. Based in Milwaukee, but performing all over the Midwest and beyond, they specialize in high-energy Irish dance music on fiddle and bodhran, and Renaissance period vocals backed by bouzouki. Their music will carry you away and fill your heart with joy. Ogham is where the heart is. Visit Ogham's Facebook Page

Preshow with Odorferious Thunderbottom – Front Gate (all season)

Start your day at the fair, BEFORE the faire with the preshow provided by Bristol’s “Keeper of the Privies.” Audience participation is just the thing to set the right tone for a wonderful day at the faire, and Odorferious Thunderbottom (aka “OTB”)’s just the thing to get you started. Watch as contestants are put through their paces in a series of challenges that only the mind of a Thunderbottom could  provide. Come down to the show before the show!

Punch & Judy – Kid’s Kingdom Stage (all season)

For hundreds of years there has been one major name in children’s entertainment: Mr. Punch. Punch and Judy set the standard that so many others have strived to achieve. This madcap puppetry has been enjoyed by children and churchgoers, paupers and Presidents, and all in between. The Bristol Renaissance Faire is proud to keep this tradition of classical puppetry alive with a family-friendly and fun show. Looking for a little excitement? Add a little “Punch” to your day.

Queen’s Show: Ship-Shape and Bristol Fashion – The Globe (all season)

Her Royal Majesty and her court are welcomed to Bristol. But what of the rumors of a Spanish fleet massing? What of the outrage over the activities of English sea-dogs? Come enjoy the story, thrill to the intrigue, be swept up by the dancing and be carried away by the spectacle that is the Queen’s Show.

Rambling Sailors - 3 Sheets Stage & Fountainside Stage (all season) (NEW)

Rambling Sailors is a new effort by performers Gregg and Susan Csikos. Both successful soloists in their own right, Gregg and Susan performed for over a decade individually. Now with a combined experience of 23 years on the circuit, a repertoire of hundreds of songs, and harmonies that please the ear and lift the spirit, Rambling Sailors is on a mission to bring traditional sea music, history and stories to the stage, delivered in the style that inspired generations of sailors to go to sea. Visit Rambling Sailors' Website

Robin Hood: Pirates and Rogues (all season)
After being sentenced to the gallows, Captain James Alday escaped and returns to Bristol poised to strike at the heart of Her Majesty's court. Now that Captain Alday is allied with the ruthless Captain Katherine Darcy, can Robin Hood, the Merry Men, and the Yeomen of Bristol defeat the combined force of TWO pirate crews bent upon destruction and revenge? The safety of Baron Burleigh and Bristol itself hangs on the outcome of the battles in Bristol's streets. 

Shantyman’s Variety Show – Kid’s Kingdom (all season)

Join Arabella Byrd, the shantyman of the Broken Oar, as she juggles, balances, and jokes her way through this lighthearted and entertaining show. With an infectious laugh and quick wit, Arabella brings smiles to the faces of children and grown-ups alike.

Suitcase Shakespeare: Taming of the Shrew – Midsummer Stage (weekends 1 & 8 ONLY) (NEW)
It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. This high paced comedy is ready to
make you split your seams and cheer on this witty battle of the sexes. Five actors present this sharp
30 minute comedy featuring live music and sound effects, acrobatics, intense sword play and wild
characters. Visit Suitcase Shakespeare's Website

Suitcase Shakespeare: Pyramus & Thisby – Midsummer Stage (weekend 9 ONLY) (NEW)
A sliver of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream explodes into its own full out show of crazy
hilarity! Featuring acrobatics, timeless physical comedy, and outrageous characters, these four rude
mechanicals are out to steal the limelight and win your hearts! Visit Suitcase Shakespeare's Website

Tartanic (weekends 4 & 5 ONLY)

The roar of bagpipes and the thunder of the drums can only mean one thing. Tartanic returns to thrill audiences with a show that truly defines “Shock and Awe!” Taking tunes out of the session and into the sensational with their own brand of humor and theatrics. This is not just music... this is an interactive spectacle brought to you by... MEN WITHOUT PANTS! Visit Tartanic's Website

Tea-Time with Lady Ettie – Lady Ettie’s “Me Place” (all season)

Join Lady Ettie for her version of tea-time as she takes a well-deserved break from her self-appointed position as Bristol’s welcoming committee. Bring the whole family to what is truly a mad tea-party, filled with games, stories, and laughter.

Tinker MacLea - 3 Sheets & Pig & Whistle Tavern (weekends 5,7 & 9 ONLY)

With a festival career spanning thirty-three years, the music of the Tinker has appeared on countless albums and nationally syndicated radio shows (such as the Dr. Demento Show). Come sit for a spell and raise a pint as Tinker MacLea returns to his roots as a solo artist and song writer.

Tourdion - Various Stages (weekends 1-3 ONLY)

Tourdion, with their fine voices and proficiency on an array of instruments, bring alive an eclectic selection of traditional songs from the British Isles and France - from Celtic favorites and Child ballads to rolling sea and soldier songs.  Tourdion also pays tribute to several modern writers, including their own arrangements of songs by Archie Fisher, Andy M. Stewart, Christie Moore & Stan Rogers.  They've a voice of their own, too; added to the mix is a growing collection of original songs penned by Adam, such as one of their most requested pieces, Down in the Valley so Shady, a song dealing with the circle of life from a very striking point of view. Visit Tourdion's Website