Sometimes it’s hard to be a student and a fairy

Hey folks, below is an article that I wrote for The Daily Cougar, my university's newspaper. It was also published in Graffit-e, the University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences' monthly e-newsletter.

Escorting wenches and barbarians is all in a day's work for Political Science junior Blair Ault.

As the Texas Renaissance Festival entertainment and marketing assistant, her duties include writing copy for collectable programs, directing scenarios for actors and planning promotions with local shops and conventions.

After one Texas Renaissance Festival performer treated the then 10-year-old Ault to a tour of the grounds, she joined the performance troupe as one of Cinderella's stepsisters.

For the next three years Ault found a niche as a fairy. She spoke in rhyme and gave fairy dust to small children.

"Your target audience is children because they are the ones that are really excited to see you," Ault said.

Ault even fainted when someone said they didn't believe in fairies until members of the cast revived her with a vigorous round of clapping. Folk tales claim a declaration of disbelief from spoiled children mortally wounds fairies unless true believers clap their hands.

"It's really hard to concentrate and be a fairy," Ault said.

For her last performance, Ault played a German woman. Her group broke away from strict portrayal of the period by raving whenever techno music played.

"It may not fit, but the audience likes it," Ault said.

After taking a break from performing at the festival to study at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and then the University of Houston, Ault returned to the festival in 2006 as a marketing intern and was hired into her current position.

Challenges of the position include explaining attractions of the festival to newcomers.

"It's sort of engaging people with the idea that this is a 16th century village. People can watch glassworks, comedy acts, wander around gardens. It really is an experience, and people don't seem to understand that," Ault said.