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Have you met Tom Epstein?

Tom Epstein as King Richard at the King Richard's Faire in Carver, MassachusettsWhether in the white coat or the red, with a toque or a crown, the man has a commanding presence that has long drawn attention. As he wanders the lanes, entourage in tow, he engages the visitors in conversation, inquiring as to their day and whether they are enjoying themselves. When it’s time to take the stage, he easily commands attention with his voice and mannerisms, leaving no doubt that he is the monarch of this shire. Let me introduce you to Tom Epstein, King Richard of King Richard’s Faire.

Background

Tom Epstein grew up in Morris County, New Jersey, and lives in Providence, Rhode Island now. Before college, he participated in any theatrical production offered at his schools, thoroughly enjoying performing with groups. In preparation for college, he took the SAT and received high scores in mathematics. With first hand experience watching a family member working outside their field in spite of a Master’s in English History, Tom chose to study Engineering at Brown University in Providence rather than following his passion for theatre. He wanted a degree that guaranteed him a marketable skill. His studies didn’t leave time for theatre classes and he only remembers doing one skit during his college years.

Following graduation, he worked in the Boston area as an environmental engineering consultant before going to work for the State of Rhode Island, Department of Environmental Management. Tom has held a number of positions with the Department and is currently in charge of their website. It was a pleasure, he told me, to move to a position where it was no longer his responsibility to tell people they couldn’t do what they wanted to and try to force them to follow the rules.

Sometime around 1991, Tom found that he needed an outlet for his theatrical side. He began performing with The Cumberland Company for the Performing Arts, situated on 550 acres of a former Trappist monastery. The company had already stopped producing the Cumberland Faire but was doing both straight and musical plays. They cast Tom in quite a few roles through the years, keeping him very busy until the company closed. He has maintained his friendship with the director, Normand Beauregard.

Faire History

Tom had only been to faire once, visiting friends who were on cast, when other friends asked if he wanted to make a trip to Boston for King Richard’s Faire auditions. Feeling that auditioning is a skill needing constant practice, he agreed. One of the open slots on the cast roster that year was for someone large, loud, and capable of carrying a tune. The Entertainment Director had a new character in mind, the Royal Cook, and the actor originally intended for the part had broken her ankle. Tom fit the criteria and earned the role of Bob Crumpet, Royal Cook, a part he played for the next eight years.

During those years, Tom had the pleasure of working with Barbara “Bodge” Burinski-Shelton who played Queen Katherine. Tom told me that Bodge inspired him with her ability to always be gracious, very professional but never aloof. Late one afternoon, early in his time as Bob Crumpet, he and Bodge walked toward the front gate to sing a couple of songs and wave goodbye to visitors from the balcony overhead. It had been a long hot day and all that was on his mind were thoughts of how hot he was, that he was glad it was time to tell the patrons goodbye, and how good the cool shower would feel. As they got to the balcony stairs, the Queen knelt down to talk to a little girl knighted earlier in the day.

Tom reminisced, “In full costume, she knelt in the dust to ask the child if she remembered the questions from the knighting ceremony–Will you do your homework, obey your parents, be kind to others, remember that there are people less fortunate—and the little girl was absolutely connected with Bodge and was replying ‘Yes’ to each question, so seriously. The image of them there, so intent on each other as to block out everything else, had a profound effect on me. In those moments, Bodge reminded me of the magic that is there if you see it.” He treasures that memory, pulling it out when he needs inspiration to stay totally in the moment. The qualities Tom respected in Barbara “Bodge” Burinski-Shelton made her nomination to and induction in the Renaissance Hall of Fame on August 25, 2008, a well-deserved tribute.

As with most live theatre, there are moments when things don’t work as expected. King Richard’s Faire starts too hot and ends too cold. As the weather becomes cooler, merchants plug in space heaters in an effort to stay warm. This will occasionally result in a fuse blowing and the power going out. The cast wears wireless microphones and receives accompaniment for musical numbers from a pair of keyboards and a drum. When the power goes out, the mics and keyboards quit working, leaving just the voices and drum. That’s when experience pays off as Tom returns to projecting his voice to the audience as he used to. “It’s a lot of fun when that happens, I love it,” he told me.

On one occasion, when he and Bodge were on stage, only her mic went out. They both adjusted their blocking (the area they were designated on the stage), allowing the microphone to pick up both their voices. Tom finds great joy in working under those conditions, just rolling with the flow and keeping the show going. If the skies open up in the middle of a number, they keep on dancing, just moving in tighter patterns so that there is a lesser risk of sliding of the stage. He recalled being on one of the old stages, since replaced, with the Queen when the floor collapsed under her. She dropped in to the floor up to her hip and just kept on singing. The professionalism the cast shares enable each of them to have fun working together, whatever is happening. When things don’t go right, it just becomes part of another great story. “I won’t say that it’s not polished,” Tom explained, “our shows are pretty polished, but that’s also when it’s the best. There is a relaxed spirit to it and that’s how it should be.”

While weather is always a factor, Tom takes it all in stride. No matter what the forecast, he likes to get to faire early and dress, preferring to get undressed if the weather doesn’t allow them to open rather than having to scramble at the last minute. Cold weather is his preference and one of his favorite moments comes on the first morning that he can see his breath. He doesn’t mind getting wet, especially if it has rained enough to soak the ground. When that happens, the costume director will sometimes let him wear his “silly green rubber boots.” Taking delight in the fact that every day is different and fun, Tom is pleased to be part of the world people create for themselves. Improvisation comes naturally to him and he’s had some great role models. He learned from Paul Stickney just to relax. There really aren’t any mistakes as long as he can stay relaxed and in character. It is all about engaging people, encouraging them to talk about themselves and interact, taking what ever comes and play it back to them. It’s the most important job he has and one he does well.

Eight years ago, a turn over in cast opened the slot of King and faire management offered the role to Tom. He accepted the new assignment with only the regret that Bodge had lost her battle with cancer during the off-season and he would never get to play King to her Queen. The storyline that year explained that the cook had always been the King but, to protect him, the court had sent him as a baby to live with a nice Jewish woman. When he reached manhood, he became cook to the Royal castle so they could keep an eye on him, unaware that he was heir to the throne. When the former King decided to retire to the North Pole to make toys, the Court acknowledged Bob Crumpet and he ascended the throne.

As King Richard, Tom wears a full beard, something that he keeps all year long rather than having to grow it each year. He has never weighed his costume but had a chance to experience the full import of its weight during the off-season one year. The Public Relations Department wanted photographs for billboards they were creating and requested that he stand, in full costume, with an arm outstretched at various angles. They planned to have King Richard pointing wherever on the billboard they were putting the words. He told me that he could not believe how hard it was to hold his arm up for the necessary length of time. He is grateful that the costumer makes his breeches in such a way that they come down over the knee, allowing him to wear tuxedo socks rather than tights, but sometimes regrets not having a fly. Tom isn’t recognized much outside faire, though one time an audience member recognized him as he spoke at a professional event for the Department of Environmental Regulation in Providence.

These Days

Tom has got his fingers crossed that in two years he will retire and begin doing more of the things he loves. He may focus on a starting a photography business and more acting is definitely on his list, serious acting for money, but no more school and nothing related to what he does now professionally. He loves performing and, in hindsight, wonders if he would choose Engineering again. “There were a lot of opportunities to study and do things I enjoyed rather than the engineering which I was good at but didn’t really enjoy. I’m ready for a change.”

He dates a “very lovely woman” with two great children from Carver, Massachusetts, and has for the last four years. When not performing, he enjoys photography and a lot of reading, primarily in the field of history. Another interest is archery, which he practices on one of four bows. He is especially proud of the two bows made by a Hungarian bowyer now living in the United States. “They are modern copies of Asian composite bows, highly recurved, very short, very efficient. They are really cool,” Tom said with obvious enthusiasm.

Tom loves Gilbert & Sullivan plays and has appeared in productions with the Ocean State Light Opera, the Courthouse Center for the Arts, and Brown University Gilbert & Sullivan Society. To date, he has had roles in more than half of the G & S plays and, in different productions, has portrayed more than one character. For instance, he has played the Mikado, Pish-Tush, and most recently Pooh-Bah in productions of Mikado and been cast as the Major General in three different productions of The Pirates of Penzance. His favorite role, though, was Ragueneau from Cyrano de Bergerac in an outstanding production. It resulted in very powerful performances and, for those on stage, it was very easy to be in the moment. Tom told me that he cried his eyes out. He always made sure there were tissues waiting for him backstage so that he could blow his nose and wipe his eyes before curtain call.

Through the years, Tom has attended a couple of mini-faires like the one at Hammond Castle. He hopes to attend others after he retires, with Sterling Renaissance Festival, Texas Renaissance Festival, and Arizona Renaissance Festival being high on his list. There are so many people that he has met through the years and traveling presents opportunities to reconnect with old friends.

Final Thoughts

King Richard’s Faire is the place to come if you want to perform or just show up to enjoy. It is today’s vaudeville and the only place to see variety acts that make their living performing year round. It is probably the best place to see what someone can do because everyone gets the chance to keep polishing the routine. If a new idea comes up, they try it and keep on trying it a thousand times, just making it better and better each time. It’s for patrons like Loretta Sylvia, who hasn’t missed a day in approximately 20 years, that Tom and the rest of the cast show up and keeping getting better. Striving to do something as well as possible with a whole group who have the same goal in mind; that is the joy for Tom.

Photo courtesy of Tom Epstein

August 26th, 2008 Posted by | Have You Met? | 2 comments

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