The Documentarian is responsible for the creation and upkeep of LANCE's recorded history.  This includes not only photos and videos of our members and events, but also the scribing of fight choreography and organization of event reports.  The Documentarian will oversee their committee of archivists; while also acting as the liaison between them and the Board of Governors.

To be more specific, the Documentarian is in charge of:  

• Ensuring that LANCE events are documented with photos and videos
• Sharing recorded media with both LANCE members and the wider public in conjunction with the Member Relations Chair and Publicity Chair
• Backing up and archiving all LANCE media
• Creating event report forms and sharing completed reports with the Board of Governors
• Overseeing the Chronicler of Arms and their work on the Armory
• Maintaining scribing binders, notebooks, and online choreography archives
• Collecting items such as pictures and articles from outside sources about LANCE and its members

Currently the position of Documentarian is held by Marissa Kraatz.  According to Marissa, her biggest responsibility is making sure that content is released in a timely manner - which is a challenge because LANCE generates new content every week!  She feels that strong computer literacy and regular internet access are important things for any Documentarian to have, present or future.  A great deal of work for this committee is done digitally.  

If you know an active member in LANCE who has interest in running for Documentarian, we invite you to nominate them.  All nominations are welcomed, including nominations of Officers currently serving, and must be accepted by the nominee at the March Elections in order for them to be eligible for election.  We ask that you do not nominate yourself, but if you would like to be nominated for any of the positions, have a friend nominate you or speak with any of the current Board Officers.

The Publicity Chair is responsible for promoting a positive image of LANCE Orlando to the local community by creating materials and cultivating media relations. As with all Committee Chair positions the Publicity Chair is required to attend monthly Board of Governor meetings, as well as oversee their respective committee and act as liaison between their committee and the Board of Governors.

In addition, the Publicity Chair, with the help of their committee, also:  

• Designs, produces and distributes all marketing materials  
• Contacts the local newspapers and various media outlets about upcoming events
• Advertises events and training to the general public
• Works on initiatives to recruit new members
• Creates an active community on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to engage the community and raise awareness about the company and its activities
• Works with the Webmaster to keep the LANCE Orlando website up-to-date and interesting
• Develops community outreach and opportunities for LANCE to impact the community through service projects
• Creates content for website, social media, and LANCE blog
• Gathers, maintains, and utilizes lists of media contacts and past and potential members for targeted outreach
• Coordinates with Documentarian for promotional photos and video

Currently the position of Publicity Chair is vacant and in need of nominations. If you know an active member in LANCE who has knowledge of or interest in marketing/social media, we invite you to nominate them. All nominations are welcomed and must be accepted by the nominee at the March Elections. We ask that you do not nominate yourself, but if you would like to be nominated for any of the positions, get a friend to nominate you or speak with any of the current Board Officers.

LANCE is a growing troupe and, as you might imagine, it takes a whole lot of effort from a whole lot of talented individuals to create the best opportunities for our members. With that in mind, I'd like to spend this post telling you about LANCE's committees.

LANCE committees exist to support the troupe in various areas and to help us develop over time. There are many ways to lend a hand, and so there are a bunch of committees that cover a broad range of interests. Let's talk about 'em!

Michael "Nella" Corinella chairs the Safety Committee. Affectionately known as "Safety Dad" by the troupe, Nella and his committee's jobs are to keep our troupe safe. They keep a sharp eye out at Training to make sure everyone stays hydrated, takes breaks, and wears the appropriate training attire. The Safety Committee also maintains our med kits and brings water for the troupe to share. If you're injured or even just not feeling so good, talk to a member of the Safety Committee, and they will take care of you. If you're not sure if a particular move or technique is safe to incorporate into your fight, the Safety Committee will work with the Training Committee to ensure you're in the clear.

​Are you a Caretaker type? Do you relate to Bubble Boy on a spiritual level? The Safety Committee might be a good fit for you! Contact Nella to join!

​The Training Committee, chaired by AJ Harrett, has two subcommittees. Yes, we love fighting at LANCE and stage combat is a big part of what we do, but character work and improvisation are also integral to our performances. We have, therefore, two kinds of Trainers at LANCE: Character Trainers and Combat Trainers.

Combat Trainers teach our stage combat classes and workshops as well as help develop the LANCE Training curricula. They have a good bit of experience fighting with our troupe, and they've probably got a weapons specialization or two under their belts. Questions about stage combat safety, technique, and aesthetic can go to Combat Trainers, all of whom are also on the Safety Committee. 

You might think that Combat Trainers have all the gumption, but it's the Character Trainers who are truly dauntless. Character Trainers teach improv, character development, and other acting workshops, and they're excellent at coaxing even the most timid fledgling performers out of their shells. With just a few workshops under your belt, you can really tell a difference in your confidence as a performer. That's the magic of making a fool out of yourself in public!

Interested in becoming a Trainer? Any member of the troupe can voice their desire to become a Combat or Character Trainer to any member of the Training Committee. If the Training Committee Chair thinks you're ready, then you'll attend Trainer Training and get signed off to start teaching students in classes and workshops of your own. If it's decided that you need some more time to gain experience, the Training Committee Chair will talk to you about the best way to go about achieve your goal to become a Trainer with LANCE. Let AJ know you'd like to be considered for a Training position! 

Marissa Kraatz is our Documentarian, and she has many minions. You might have seen them taking pictures and recording video. You might even have had them help you scribe your fights. Archivists go about the business of documenting LANCE's memories with phones and cameras, editing and archiving everything for posterity, and occasionally shouting "MURDER BUDDIES"  at showcase. Scribes learn LANCE formatting and abbreviations for writing fights out and help transfer handwritten fights to our online database. The Chronicler of Arms keeps track of the histories of our weapons in our online Armory. In short, the Documentarian and members of her committee are the guardians of LANCE's culture. Sound like something you'd like to be a part of? Contact Marissa now!

Our Quartermaster is Charles Hale. The Quartermaster and his helpers care for and catalogue LANCE's properties, weapons, and costumes. Proper storage is hugely important, not only to keep our property safe and organized, but also to ensure that the Florida heat and humidity doesn't rust our weapons or mold our fabrics. Charles and his committee members ensure that everything is in its proper place. The Quartermaster also orders our weapons and other necessary items for LANCE.

​If you are a natural organizer, if expanding LANCE's assets is important to you, or if you just really love to clean, consider contacting Charles about lending a hand with Quartermaster duties!

Amy Bowman is the Chair of the Outreach Committee, which means she spearheads a ton of awesome projects for LANCE. She and her merry band of committee members run LANCE's online presence, including all social media platforms as well as the LANCE website. In fact, our social media presence is so far-reaching that we have a subcommittee dedicated to it, the aptly-named Social Media Subcommittee.  If you a Facebook Fanatic, an Avid Instagrammer, or want to help out with any other aspect of our social media, let Amy know!

Outreach also handles all fundraising and marketing for LANCE, so if you've ever wanted to get in on helping to spread the word about LANCE or raising money to help us out at events or at Training, then this is the committee for you. Free-Spirited Creatives and Detail-Oriented Planners will both have a great time with Outreach because there's a whole lot of opportunity to dream big, and then make your ideas a reality with a team of awesome people behind you.

The other amazing aspect of Outreach is the Activities Subcommittee, led by Liz Burke. Activities organizes member outings, parties, and learning opportunities. Have great ideas for fun stuff LANCE members could do? Liz is all ears! Join the Activities Subcommittee to help grow and strengthen LANCE as a community!

Training with LANCE Orlando can be intense, tiring, challenging, rewarding, and most of all, fun! With this blog post, we will look at some of the requirements, guidelines, and suggestions for attire to help keep you safe and have a great time training with us.

Firstly, please keep in mind when choosing your attire that we train outdoors in Florida year round. Yes, even in the summer! When choosing what to wear for our training and rehearsal days, there are few requirements that we ask you to follow.​

Preferably leather, but “Mechanix” style gloves will also work. When choosing your gloves you want to make sure that you still have full range of motion in your hand and fingers and are able to grip a weapon. It is preferred that you stay away from thin, full-fabric, cold weather gloves or full rubber-type washing gloves.​ Here is an example of “Mechanix” gloves. Although these types of gloves are not “show ready” they are still a perfect example of acceptable gloves for training. Good places to look for training gloves include hardware and home improvement stores. If you are unsure about the types of gloves that may be worn please see the examples shown below. If you are looking for “show ready” gloves, trainers and other members of the Safety Committee will have suggestions on where to look, so ask them!​

Think sensible footwear, something that prevents slipping like an athletic shoe or a boot. A dress shoe or something with heels would generally not be acceptable. The only absolute rule as far as footwear is concerned is that sandals or flip flops are not permitted. There is no exception to this rule. If you plan to fight with us, whether you are unarmed or not, you will be turned away if wearing sandals.

With a wide range of options in this category, the easy way to define whether or not you should wear it is simply to use your best judgement. The rule of thumb is that if it has the potential to injure either yourself or your partner during training then it should not be worn. This includes having a jewelry piece getting snagged on something. If you are not okay with the jewelry potentially being damaged or pulled on sharply, please consider removing it for training. If you are unsure about your jewelry, please feel free to ask a trainer or other member of the Safety Committee.

Now that accessories have been covered, it’s time to discuss what to wear on your upper and lower body. Once again the first thing to remember is that we train outdoors in Florida, making the heat and sun serious concerns. Clothing aside, make sure to bring a water bottle with you for training (we will have water for refills) and consider also bringing sunscreen and a light snack.

That being said, shorts or pants and a light shirt that are all comfortable to move around in are welcome. In general jeans or similarly restrictive pants are not recommended but the goal is to make sure you are comfortable and can perform safely. Wear the clothing you are comfortable in, but be aware that jeans and other non-workout pants can be made of thicker material that may not only restrict movement but also retain heat and make it difficult to stay cool in the Florida weather. Please use your best judgement. Athletic undergarments are also recommended to help support your comfort and safety.

​Lastly, you should keep your eyeline clear. What this means is that you should be sure that your eyes are visible to your fight partners. This can easily be accomplished by tying back longer hair if it can obscure your vision or by wearing a headband, bandana, or other accessory that is firmly attached to your head. Hats are not a good idea since there is a risk they will fall off and get in the way. You will also have to remove sunglasses since they also can obscure your eyes from your fight partner or fall off mid-fight. Communication is a huge part of a fight and this includes eye contact! Your eyes can say a lot.

These suggestions and requirements are not intended to remove the fun of LANCE and stage combat, but to promote safety and ensure that we can all continue to train and build a community together.

Thanks, everyone! See you at training and stay safe out there!
​​-- Michael Corinella, Safety Committee Chair

Songs frequently heard at a Renaissance Faire vary from traditional and melancholy to modern and downright dirty, but no matter what the words or melody, half the fun of hearing faire songs is singing along with them! With that in mind, and with the knowledge that much of the cast for this year's living chess match at The Orlando Renaissance Festival are new to RenFaires in general, I have compiled a Spotify playlist of my favorite tunes for your listening pleasure!

You see, it is a long-standing tradition among many stage combat troupes to choose a final song to sing together to signify their bond at the end of a show. After all the rehearsals, after the bruises and aching joints from running fights for the hundredth time, after accidental stabbings with pins while slaving away over costumes, after getting to know dozens of characters and interacting with them for days at a time, after stumbling over lines and forgetting blocking and coming up with brilliant one-liners on the spot and laughing and yelling and stage fright and inside jokes, there is an end. And when we as a cast reach that end, it feels important to mark it somehow, to put a stake down in our memories and say, "This was it. We were here together as one thing, and after this moment we part as something else." That is what a final song is for, and that is what The Parting Glass will be for LANCE Orlando. 

It took us a long time to choose a final song we felt was worthy of our troupe. When we finally did, it seemed fitting to begin our version of this tradition after our biggest show ever, the living chess match at ORF. 

​No one has to sing, of course. Sometimes it's just as powerful to listen. But in case you do want to give singing our final song a go, there's a version in the playlist by The Wailin' Jennys, and below is a version by Ed Sheeran (my personal favorite), another by Glen Hansard, and another by fan favorite The High Kings. I've also included the lyrics LANCE will be using below. Enjoy!

What's your favorite faire song? Share it in the comments section below! If it's not on the playlist already, I'd love to add it!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy listening to the playlist! See you at the faire!
--Casey, Webmaster

The time is nearly upon us!

LANCE Orlando is celebrating our first foray into performing a living chessboard with the inaugural year of the Orlando Renaissance Festival. The festival, which will be held on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of December -- that's Friday through Sunday for those without a calendar handy -- will feature LANCE Orlando's living chess match among many other excellent acts, including the Cabin Boys, Giacomo the Jester and Looney Lucy, and Trash or Treasure. The location of the festival is beautiful Bill Fredrick Park at Turkey Lake in the Metrowest area near Universal Orlando. For information about tickets, times, and more, visit OrlandoRenaissanceFestival.com.

But more about our show! Here's the official description:

​Sound exciting? We certainly hope so! Our cast and production team have been working hard to present our audience with a hilarious, thrilling show to remember for the Orlando Renaissance Festival's first year. With just three more weekends of rehearsals before the festival, we're approaching crunch time in a big way. All of our cast members are spending their weeknights making fabric runs and at costume sewing circles to finish their garb, and our combatants on the chessboard are meeting up during the week to hone their fights to fine points. At this point, some of us are even practicing our fights in our dreams.

There's a lot left for us to polish in the coming weeks, but we can't wait for you to see the show! We've got our cast, our stage, and now our crowns. All we're really missing is an audience (that's you) laughing and cheering us on!  After all, with a living chess match just full to bursting with sword-fights and squabbling royals, what's not to love about the War of the Roses? ​

See you at the Orlando Renaissance Festival!
-- Casey, Webmaster

We'd like to take some time to recognize these individuals for their achievements these past few months. Through a whole lot of hard work and sheer effort of will, they have accomplished their goals and gained a few new skills in the process. We are so proud of our graduates, and we look forward to training and performing with them for a long time to come!

May 1st, 2016
  ♜  Zach, Vinh, and Sean tested out of Basic Unarmed!
  ♜  Robby and Ash test out of Basic Quarterstaff!
​
June 4th, 2016
  ♜  Heidi tested out of Basic Sword!

June 12th, 2016
  ♜  Heather tested out of Basic Sword!

July 31st, 2016
  ♜  Tony tested out of Basic Unarmed!

Great job, everyone! See you at training!
-- Casey, Webmaster

Hosted by Peter Woodward, Conquest is a TV series about weapons from throughout history. This show was recommended by Michael, our Training Committee Chair, who found it while doing research and thought it would be an interesting addition to the blog. Well, he thought right! 

Knives and Daggers is Episode 2 of Season 2. It aired on July 13th, 2003. Here's the synopsis from TV.com:

You can watch the full episode in three parts below!