Episode 9: Return To Camelot

A discussion of our recent visit to the SCA event Return to Camelot: an Arthurian Deed.  In this episode, we podcast while on-site during the event.  We talk about the details of the event, and how this concept introduces a storyline to the SCA event.

We also talk about the myth of King Arthur, and why it is so important to the SCA, and to modern society's concept of honor and nobility.  Finally, we discuss the value of rehearsal in creating what are essentially theatrical moments.

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Show Notes:

Recording the podcast on-site at the SCA event Return to Camelot.

Evaluating the event site.
04:00   This event is introducing elements not always found in other SCA events:  Injecting narrative into the activities, creating a opportunity for theater among the Knights, the Monarchs and the Barons

06:00  Maintaining the "golden thread," the succession of key activities that form the core of the event.  Where is the important activity happening at any given moment.

07:25   Medieval events not related to the SCA:  Renaissance Consort performance and a play that referenced the medieval.  Using the medieval to reference something noble and honorable.

 11:33    The power of the Arthurian myth, and why it is so important to the SCA.  One of the primary reasons why we celebrate this time period in the SCA, and why we give honor to knights and nobles, is because of the Arthurian myth, the concept that knights and chivalry were high ideals and that nobility brought with it responsibility and an obligation to service.  And that still resonates with us in our modern lives.

14:00   When you are performing, when you are creating theater, rehearsal is not a bad thing and speaking extemporaneously is not inherently better.  When moments are thought out before hand, the experience of the onlookers, the audience, is enhanced every time.

18:20   This was a lot more theater than the SCA usually does, and it was worth it.

19:00  The SCA is not the only place where the SCA intersects with our lives.  Early music, medieval theater such as Shakespeare, fantasy and fantastical stories found in modern movies and television from Arthur to Game of Thrones.  In fact, most fantasy stories take the medieval as their reference point.  All of fantastical literature is looking for a connection between the medieval and the modern.