The bar is open...

Rydell Downward

Sir Mulberry Hawk and Mr. Alfred Mantalini of Nicholas Nickleby.

Started as a Pickwickian groupie in '79 at Fort Mason and stuck with the Fair through its stay at the Fox Theatre. I didn't participate again until it started back up at the Cow Palace in...2000? I and Therese began directing the straggling, miscellaneous characters from books that weren't Xmas Carol or Oliver Twist then, and now we're still at it and engaged too boot. Cute, huh?

I've played so many characters in the past that I can't remember them all. I started in '78. Played general lower class at Fort Mason. Swept the stage at Sal's, etc. Played Sal one year at the Fox Theater. Came up with the Ladies Oratoracle and Recreational Society with Robin D while at Pier 45. Moved away in '90, so this is my first year back, sort of. I'll most likely be working at one of the bars this year. May invoke the ghost of Sara "Pleasure" Parker. She was always a favorite of mine.
'

I can only quiver in the presence of such talent. A first time attending pay-tron only this year in a borrowed costume to boot. But next year… I’ll have a year of Dickens (note the important lack of apostrophe Carrie!!) snobbery to draw from. Yippee!!

Amy Agler
I'm Mrs. Fanny Duberly at the Adventurer's Club. I'm also seen at the NFP Show.
I started at the Griffin and Thistle the first year at the Cow Palace.

Karsten Agler
I am currently playing Robert MacIan, part of the duo that invented Scottish history for Queen Victoria. I am working with the Adventurers' Club. I have been doing Dickens since '95. Somehow, I never even got out to DCF until '88, and was fully intending to work there in '89, but ...

I'm NEW...
and by new, I mean I have never been IN Dickens... or even been TO Dickens!
I am in Le Can-Can Bijou... and its awesome!
I'm looking forward to seeing and being a part of the wonderful Dickens Fair that everyone has been telling me about!
YAY!

Long, long ago....on a ice-box pier off Fisherman's Wharf, I played Capt. John Winslow, USN (USS Kersarge) visiting the embassy in London in 1863. I also had a street-scum character, Barlow, who was a London cabbie, rampsman, part-time thug... I also worked with Linda Underhill to staff Morgan's (the Wheat Weaver) booth....where I helped keep shop. But the great "freeze-out" of Sacramento put me on hiatus from Dickens Fair for many years.

Last year, I came up to visit for a weekend as Prof. Thaddeus Lowe, the noted American areonaut...

And this year, it looks like I'll be playing with the Sal's Scum, reprising my role as Barlow.
And I've been teaching a pre-fair on "From Text to Gig" based upon museum living history techniques and philosophies.

Barbara Rose Calloway

Rosie O'Lay ~ Currently the Receptionist at Adorn Thy Hair, Formerly with Lace-A-Lady - the game and the show.

My first Dickens Fair was in 1983 at the Fox Theatre. I was one of Charity's girls at Lace-A-Lady - a game where gentlemen laced up our corsets against the clock. Once they completed their task they received a Christmas kiss under the mistletoe. Back then we wore used ice skating boots - the leather was so hard we could barely walk. Since we had little time to get corsets made before Dickens opened we used orthopedic corsets dolled up with ribbon and lace. In 1984 we did street gigs with Scrooge - played by Neil Hudner - where he would threaten to throw us out in the streets if we didn't pay our rent.

When the Fair moved to Pier 45 I worked at Kay Scotto's gaming booth. A couple of years later I started working for the hair braiding booth; however, every now and then Al Bertini would get a Lace-A-Lady game going which was more a show for the crowd than an actual game.

When the Fair moved to Sacramento in 1990 Lace-A-Lady became a stage show. One of the few times where I was actually an actor at fair and not a boothie. It was in the mid-30s inside the Fair and we did the show in our corsets and underwear. We used to huddle in the Ladies room just before each show and put our hands and feet up to the hand dryers to stay warm. I also helped out at the hair braiding booth and had to thaw out the water bottles in the mornings because they would freeze overnight.

When the Fair moved back to Pier 45 I went back to working at the hair braiding booth. Anyone remember the year where the Fair was open on New Year's eve?

When the Fair moved to the Cow Palace in 2000 I worked for Al Bertini in the games booth. I used to run the Roulette Wheel and when business was slow I would sit and watch the shows at Mad Sals. In 2001 I went back to being the receptionist at the hair braiding booth and have been there ever since.

Last year I helped out with The Great Race which was a lot of fun. This year I hope to spend more time exploring the Fair and getting to know more people. I'm thinking of joining the Christmas Keepers so I can interact more with the crowd and the actors as well as develop my character.

Hello, My name is Anna. Anna Nutherthang.

I have the pleasure of waking up extremely early, to make hot chia and serve coffee in the mornings, befor opening.

By 11 am, I am for the most part done with my day, and have the rest of the show to walk around, visit, and take in all the eyecandy I can.

Please come by Don's in the morning and say hello.

As far as how long, and what I'v done at the fair befor this year. It's a long silly story.

Could I have a hot battered rum please Miss Toobens?

Amy Adams

Miss Agnes Wickfield- loving sister/wife to David Copperfield, devoted daughter to her drunken father, and general angel. <---maroon

Miss Jane Murdstone- her bizarro twin, evil step-aunt to David, wierd help-meet to her brother, and general terror of London. <----black

I first visited Dickens in 2002, and was back the next year as a participant. I have been a happy resident of Otherbookistan since the beginning.

My name is Felicity.... Its all gray area to me when I started attending vs when I started working. I believe I *officially* started working Dickens about 3 years ago. But have been working faires in general for about 13 years. I started Dickens working as a server at the Three Cripples. Being that I'm a permanent "gimp" I figured The Crips was the way to go! This year I'll be sporting a peg leg, given the "snow" is not too slippery. Anyone for Mumbly-Peg? ::grin::

I have no character name as of yet. Anyone got one for me???

The name's Jessa...trying to come up with a good character name that's not too far off from my real name...any fabulous inspirations would be greatly appreciated!!

I work for Mr. Taddich of Taddich's Fine Foods, slinging duck l'orange and turkey wit' stuffin' to all the hungry masses, and when I'm not toilin' away makin' my tuppence a day, I'm blowin' that self-same tuppence at Mad Sals (I hear you gotta be real disreputable to get in wit' 'em, but I say bein' aloof does a body well in a pinch!)

Looking forward to exploring the depths of a character who's in with the bad crowd but thinks their bravado is all just codswallop, who can't do math in her head without making the "math face" and wiggling her fingers, and who's constantly saying the wrong thing at the right time.

Come by and say hi!

(and fer' god's sake, if you have ideas for a good pun-ish Dickensian last name, let me know!!)