More Thoughts on Re-Enactment

More answers to Naomi's question.........this is getting to be quite fun - I have had lots of responses......
What do you think it is about the Re-enactments that attracts? As an actress, I can understand the idea of "playing a part"..but, this is so much more than that..there is History...there is living there as if in that time period....I am fascinated by everyone's committment...!

I thought this was a good question, so asked it on our re-enactment company forum!

First one up, my master Peter:
I like re-enactment because I feel that in this day and age there are very few skills left in this country. What with industry and science it is no longer necessary to excell at anything. In medieval times people spent their whole lives doing the same job and in my opinion did better jobs than modern machinery does today.
I also enjoy the art of combat as it was a skill, again nowadays anyone can pick up a gun and point it, or press a button to shoot a rocket. It was survival of the fittest. Science in medieval times is also underated, some of the structures they built have lasted for centuries but have been built in ways that would never have got past the modern planning office. I remember seeing a cathedral where the dome is just a mish mash of wooden beams that appear to be in no order but have held it up for hundreds of years.
To answer this question fully would take hours and probably earn me a history degree but I hope this gives some indication as to why I do it.
Oh and I nearly forgot, when you do an event your everyday life gets completely left behind. Any stresses or worries are left only hitting you again when you pack up to go home.

And Simon:
It kind of all goes to back to my childhood... I've always been interested in history. It was my favourite subject at school.
I wasn't allowed to take it for GCSE and have been trying to make up for it ever since. I've always liked "dressing up". On a school visit to Carisbroke Castle (Isle of Wight) I was first in line to try on the armour and the hold the weapons. I spent many happy summer days wandering the fields and woods near home with my wooden sword and cloak made out of curtains.
Then of course there's the fireside boozing, the singing, the anecdotes about past events and the company of likeminded people with a similar outlook on life and weird sense of humour. Basically re-enactment is ace. It's also highly addictive, if I don't go to any events for too long I get withdrawl symptoms.

You know - there's quite a bit in here I would agree with......and I've only been doing it a couple of months.........

More tomorrow......

cq