History of The Virtual Fooles Troupe

Fool by Appointment to the Duchess,

or The Virtual Fooles Troupe.

Last Updated: 24 Jul 2002 1502

"So what's a Fooles Troupe?" I was asked.

Ah, what mortals these Fooles be.....

Thank you, I'll start again.

There are many Arts and Crafts practised in the SCA. But verily, one of the hardest type to practise (and practice) is any involving the Performance Arts. By definition they require an audience, something not always possible for many reasons, including time and space. But our Society is in a Modern Age. Today we can reach people we cannot see, may never meet. For those with the access, there are email mailing lists, where one can reach hundreds and thousands. More than turning up to the local feast.

"So you want to tell some of your jokes, do you?"
 "No, I just want to entertain people."
"So what you want to sing?"
 "No, I don't wish to sing right now."
"So what musical instrument do you want to play, and should I call for quiet?"
 "No, I don't wish to play at the moment."
"You tell those good stories don't you?"
 "I didn't want to tell a story right now, I just wanted to make people laugh and have a good time."
"So you do want to tell some jokes? Quiet everybody, Robin wants to tell a joke!"
 "Ahhhggghhh!"

The concept of the Medieval Foole always fascinated me. In truth, though they were reputed to make people laugh, often they were figures more deserving of pity and help than laughter. Some were mentally disturbed, or crippled. Others were smart people, but were used by their Lords and Masters to poke fun at others, for you dare not get upset at what your Lord's Foole said about you, for he was but a Fool, was he not?

I was always interested in what makes people laugh. Over many years I studied various techniques, material, sources, and attended Theatre Workshops. Studied Commedia del Arte, as best one can, and read what The Bard wrote and all that. Already being possessed of a fast wit, you might think it easy enough to make smart comments. But I wanted to do more than that.

On the Internet is a newsgroup called rec.org.sca. With the sense of humour that the Society sometimes shows, it has a more Medieval name. In Venice, there was a place near the docks where gossip, information and much more could be found. You went to the Rialto, which is the name of this list. Just around the corner from the Rialto was the Cathedral.

The Kingdom of Antir, being no slouch in modernity, nor wit either, had an email list called The Cathedral Steps. The steps and surrounds of Cathedrals also drew people to sit in the warmth and chat, perhaps even to buy a drink and a snack from nearby. Certain amounts of sillyness (including terrible puns) usually occur when good natured people are relaxing and enjoying themselves.

Since I had a couple of alternate personas, of largely indeterminate periods, once the sillyness started, the result was probably inevitable. Foot firmly in mouth, Robin the Ruthless in Battel (who evolved into [Battel]) managed to inadvertently almost insult the Queen. Remembering that if people are laughing hard enough at you, they may not be able to do you much harm, quick thinking ensured a petition to become The Queen's Fool on the Steps received favourable endorsement. Then [Battel] got a few friends along to help him tell stories. Others, attracted by the fun these Fools were having, wanted to join them. It got out of control. There was [<ANTIR5>] - secret spy to [The Duchess]. And of course, the long suffering [GRAND PUNTIFF] whom the Fooles always thought they got the better of. The Fools sneaked into the Scribes computer and started sending their own messages to the email list. They even started answering their own Scribe back.

So just what was the Fooles Troupe Project, you may ask? It started out by trying to have a couple of personas tell simple stories. It got out of hand. Fools tend to cluster together. Accidents happen. Well, really, the City Fathers (3) had the Cathedral repaired so cunningly that you have to look very closely, and in just the right light to see where the fire juggling act allegedly damaged it.

What did the Fools DO? Ah, like all good parties, you just had to be there, really! They tried to parrot their betters, and thought they were more clever than others around them. They tried to tell what they thought were funny stories, but more often than not, got things wrong. They got a job with the City Fathers keeping the Lists (4) (5) clear of old GNUs (6), so as not to startle the horses. Their petty squabbles were often funnier than the jokes they struggled to tell. They even tried to start their own local SCA group. The well intentioned blundering of the Duchess' Secret Spy [<ANTIR5>], sometimes appearing as [<#|:->] when he was wearing his spy hat & disguise, who graduated Magna Cum Laude from The Dr John Dee (7) School of Espa... er .. Esper... er Spying. And, of course [Count Gelder], an emissary from the Court of Prester John (8).

So what happened to the Fooles? They boarded a ship and sailed away, much to the relief of the City Fathers. And I just got too busy for writing them at the time. Will the Fooles ever return? Possibly. Will they be welcomed back? I am not a mind reader. Will more message bottles be received from the Fools Scribe, now trapped on a Ship of Fools (9) ? Probably. Will their ship be attacked by The Dreaded Pirate Captain Red-Nose? Most probably. Have you ever heard of tales of the Ships of Fooles (10) ? Who is to say what the winds of fate will not blow up on the Shores of Antir again! They may even pass by The Rialto occassionally.

Can the Fooles past escapades be read somewhere? The Antir Web Page author made some of the tales available for a while. Some of them have been lost, but some have finally received a permanent home here. The very early emails have mostly been rewritten, to cast them in the style of performance scripts. The early performance scripts emails were often sent out as an unedited spontaneous first draught (which explains why The Fooles sometimes had 2 attempts at an installment!), so have been edited.

News Flash! It doth appear - Alas! - that they have returned, in a new and devastating Fifth Series, making an appearance on The Rialto... Something to do with Friday the 13th...

Oh yes, there are now some installments newly written. There was also some material written but never before published. The Fooles have been sporadicaly writing a Diary; a collection of things they have found on the Internet helpful to their lifestyle. It is called "What Every Well Educated Foole Should Know" - what else? Some indices to the various Themes for their Routines have been organised, so that their various themes may be enjoyed in sequence: not that it would help to make any more sense of their antics which have now spread over more than 200 web pages, including a Webring called The Ring of Fooles now in an active stage (if you will forgive the pun).

The Fooles now finally have their Dwelling online too, and some new pieces may see the light of day soon. there is some discussion about doing a Pantomime for Christmas, but they can't seem to agree which one. Er, Pantomime that is, but I suppose there is a doubt which Christmas it will be before the Pantomime surfaces.

My heartfelt thanks to Jacyntha Argentarius, Duchess An Tir, AA, who encouraged the Fools Troupe at first. Sorry, Your Grace, things just got out of hand, but then, you do know how Fools are....

"Veritas Vincit"
Long suffering Fool's Troupe Scribe,
Robin

Sometimes known as
Robin the Ruthless in Battel - G.A. W.O.A.W. (11)

     Footnotes.

 (1)   Consider this a performance script.
 (2)   You begin to see some of the problems of a simple scribe for a Troupe of Fooles, virtual or not?
 (3)   Disclaimer: Absolutely no comment on the BoD!
 (4)   Lists: where chivalrous combat occurred.
 (5)   Internet slang to refer to email areas such as The Cathedral Steps
 (6)   Sorry about that! especially to GNU fans.
 (7)   Dr John Dee - check him out in Elizabethan politics.
 (8)   More research!
 (9)   You'll just have to look up some of these references, won't you?
(10)   Have you ever thought about improving your education?
(11)   Whimsical Order of the Ailing Wit - definitely not awarded with the intent to encourage further effort!

Thou art a Serious Student of Foolery
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