New Website

Thanks to everyone who helped with the new website. It just went live, so if you’re around www.themadmechanicals.com and you happen to see a problem, let us know!

-Adam

You know what I heard?

A radioactive spider once bit Shakespeare…and the spider got amazing bardic powers!

End of VARF Season for us

We had a fantastic four week run at the Virginia Renaissance Faire! It was great to reunite with friends from the area and make new friends this year. We really enjoyed seeing people return from previous years and for multiple weekends. This run saw not only the return of many fan favorite shows, but revamps on a few shows and the debut of “Much Ado About Something”…also known as “Much Ado About Sumpun Sumpun”. Ummm…yeah…I think that’s how one would spell that…I’ve never tried to do that before…But then again, that’s what improv is all about We tried out some new improv pieces during our Variety Hour and had a blast with them. We have a pokers in the fire at the moment, so keep your eyes out on our website and on Facebook for updates!

~Andi

The Pirates!

Another weekend closes at the Virginia Renaissance Festival.

This week we were overrrun with pirates, which was alright since we brought out the Shakespeare play with the pirates in it.  Oh?  You didn’t know?  Hamlet is chock full of pirates!  Well…the first draft was, anyway.  Seems Willey edited most of them out and now it’s just a small little mention somewhere in the back there.

We had another great time all weekend, although I think I was beginning to come down with something Sunday morning.   Luckily the laughter in all our crowds kept me going…and we even found some time to do Popcorn theatre!

We’ve only got one week left at Varf, so if you’re planning on seeing us, you best make it this weekend.  And what better weekend to go: it’s Celtic weekend!

So come see us do the Scottish play, a play about England beating up on France (which was a veiled commentary on England and Ireland’s relations in 1599….no really….we actually read this stuff), and maybe even some cross dressing just for old time sake.

Oh what fools these Mechanicals be…

A backstage pass!

Hello all!  (Especially the Facebook people for whom this is the third time they’re reading this)

As we hit the middle of a new year, we Mad Mechanicals have decided to update our website from drab to fab, and we would like to hear what YOU, our fans have to say about it.  Here is the link to the new sooper sekret website:

http://www.themadmechanicals.com/sekretindex.htm

Go ahead and check it out!

If you’d like, let us know what you think about it.  If there’s something better in this version than the last, let us know.  If you liked the older setup better, let us know.  If there’s something you’d like to add to the site, let us know.  If there’s a picture or a quote you’d like to contribute to the site, let us know.

Basically we’d like to hear from YOU what YOU think about it all.  The site will be secret for only about two more weeks before the switch, so let us know of anything you might want to change and you may see your idea on the new Mechanicals page.

As always, we thank you for your help in this and all endeavors that we’ve reached out to our fans.  Without you, we’d just be five people with funny clothes talking about a hundred years dead playwright…which we are.

Thanks again!

-Adam

Military Weekend at VARF

Two weeks down and two to go… We had FANTASTIC weather this past weekend and the masses were out to enjoy it!  We realized at the end of the day Sunday that we had gone non-stop both days, because there were so many people to play with.  This weekend we performed Much Ado About Something, Macbeth, and Henry V.  Much Ado was in it’s second week of production, and went much better this week.  I changed the Robin Snacks this week, in hopes that I could get the whole thing in my mouth this time.  All those years I was told I have a big mouth seem to have been wrong…I need smaller cookies!  I’m still trying to figure out how guys with mustaches eat and don’t eat their mustache…   Macbeth has seen some revisions this year, most notabely, BaaBaaLouie speaks!  Yes, they trusted me with lines   Not just lines, but bad puns   Henry V has seen some stage time and went swimmingly, well not literally, no one drowns in that one…just lots of stabbing.  The show line up for this coming weekend is still to be determined, but if you have the opportunity, come visit us at the Virginia Renaissance Faire!  Not only will you get to see us, but – Mars Mandrake, Eksentric, Tribe Janisimmi, Son of Strumm, Sashenka, and many, many, many other fantastic performers whom I wish I had more time to watch myself!

 

~Andi

Opening Weekend at Virginia Renaissance Faire

So, I’m beginning to think this is the year of rain. Saturday threatened rain, but then shaped up to be a beautiful day. Sunday, on the other hand was wet. It didn’t rain all day, but just enough to make the ground wet, which was a lot of fun with “Shilling for Shakespeare”. We debuted “Much Ado About Something” this weekend, and though it didn’t go perfectly, the audience seemed to love it As it was Romance weekend, we also performed Romeo and Juliet (“Because when you think love and romance, you think double suicide”) and Pyramus and Thisbee. We spent the rest of our day playing with visitors as they wandered the grounds and catching up friends whom we haven’t seen since VARF last year, which was the best part for me! Tavern Sing was, as always, a blast. I love just getting together with everyone, singing a few really fun songs and seeing a few good comedy bits I had so much fun, I think I’ll do it again this coming weekend. It’s Military History weekend, so if you’re an active, reserve, or retired military person you can get in for free with an ID as a thank you for your service. If you track me down, I’ll give you a big hug!

Spoutwood Faerie Festival and VARF

Adam pretty well summed up the Spoutwood Faerie Festival experience, but I wanted to throw in my two pence. First off, he very kindly omitted water in the tent problem number one. This problem was caused by some one who looks a lot like Robin Starveling placing a water jug in the tent at a downward angle, thus causing a slow leak from said water jug. All I can say is thank goodness for the air matress that separated us from the water and for the camp towel that removed the water before we packed up the tent. The entire weekend was a blast, as always. I have been going to this festival for over a decade, and it is one of my favorite places! It was a reunion weekend for me as well, as many people I have met through my years of attending and working at faires and festivals where there too. Our shows went great and everyone seemed to have a fantastic time with us, not despite of, but with the mud

Our next appearance will be at the Virginia Renaissance Faire. I am very excited to be coming back to this wonderful faire. This is a great Renaissance faire with a fantastic cast and a lot of really interesting vendors. I highly recommend making the pilgrimage and checking it out! I can’t wait to get there!

~Andi

A muddy hello

That was a lot of rain.

For those who didn’t make it, the Spoutwood May Day Faerie Festival was a bloody hoot!  The rain didn’t dampen our spirits (pardon the pun) and we had a great time vamping for upcoming acts, or doing our own version of a Midsummer’s Day Dream.

Those that came Saturday would have delighted at the new version of that show….although it was only new because I lost my prop 5 seconds before I needed to use it.  God bless five people with improv training!

Sunday’s show was great as well, although we all saw our insurance rates rise and we slipped and slid all over the muddy hill.  Luckily everyone survived, and had smiles on thier faces to boot!

We loved seeing old friends there, from fans to fellow performers like the amazing Trinket and the hilarious Letstrythis the dragon.  It was Music, Mechanicals and Mud all weekend, and we wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Well, I personally could have done without the water coming through the tent floor, but maybe I’m just picky.

Now to pack up our things and head on down to the Virginia Renaissance festival in two weeks.  Phew….what wacky lives we lead.

Adam

Spoutwood Faerie Festival

As you may have learned in a previous post, us wacky Mad Mechanicals will be at the Spoutwood Faerie Festival this weekend in Glen Rock, PA.

Please, come over and say hello! We have a show Saturday and Sunday (3:00 Gossamer Stage and 4:30 Sunshine stage, respectively) night, but many of us will be visiting Friday as well, greeting folks and generally getting in everybody’s way.

As a special request, we’re updating our website and would love some new pictures, so if you are Glen Rock this weekend and happen to have a camera and happen to snag a shot of us, PLEASE let us know.  We’d love to get in contact with you about using your shots on our site!  We get by with a little help from our friends….

Hope to see many of you this weekend!

Adam

-Thomas