Shortly after the entertainment director at the Bristol Renaissance Faire stating that we, the performers, should all try to come up with something new for our Faire characters, I came across this task. I grabbed onto the idea immediately. I decorated a pretty wooden box with the word “suggestions”, found a pencil that looks like a stick, added some note cards, and carried it with me while at Faire. My Faire character, Narcissa Nightshade, can’t read, something that seems to both delight and bewilder patrons. I would go up to some people, sometimes one or two, sometimes groups, and ask if any of them could read. If someone said they could (because there were people that played along with the time period and proclaimed they couldn’t) I would ask if they would read what was written on the box to me. Upon hearing what it said I that I had heard of such (“oh, I think I’ve heard of such… it is a box where someone writes down a suggestion and puts it into it?”) I would ask them to write one down for me to add to my box. There were a couple of people who couldn’t think of anything, but for the most part I got all sorts of fun suggestions.

Since you can’t read most of them from the pictures, I will quote each card and for some put a description. I’ve quoted them as they were written, including caps and misspellings. Some were given to me by friends, because they liked the bit so much, but most where by random patrons. I don’t recall the order I got them in, so here’s what I got in my box.

“Remember to play” and “Smile at least a little each day” I added to help start the bit (“oh, look, there already is one, it must be a box to put suggestions in”)

One of my friends, who also “couldn’t” read or write, said chocolate pudding as I was talking to a couple of patrons about it. Since she couldn’t write, she drew a picture of chocolate pudding. The patrons I was talking to then wrote “Eat the pudding”. I walked off with the card in my mouth saying “nom nom nom”.

Another one of my friends decided to draw a picture of me. Don’t know how that’s a suggestion, but hey.

One person read what the box said to me, then stated “Open the box… that’s my suggestion”. He then wrote “close the box”. He was fun.

“Music is the most soothing and healing thing to a man’s heart.”

“Nusch”. This was given to me by an 8-year-old girl. What she was trying to write was “Nonesuch” which is the name of one of the songs we sing. I sang it to her.

“Don’t be a fool… Stay in school!”

“NUCLEAR MISSILE” I have some really weird friends…

“Don’t fall asleep in your food : )”

“Stay Sassy, Baby!” This one still makes me giggle. And no, I don’t know the guy who wrote it.

“You should wear more Pink” Again, from a little girl. Funny thing is, I don’t like pink.

“DANCE AND PLAY THE DAY AWAY!!”

“The day is full of Splendor”

“Dance with someone.” So I did… with him.

“Be chipper! And permiscusus (sp?)” She was trying to write “promiscuous”.

“DRINK THY FILL OF ALL GOOD THINGS.”

“Let’s do this more often” One of my friends wrote this one after we were all having fun being goofy together.

“Lower wooden sword prices” He said he was thinking about the children of the future.

“Plant a hamster tree and sing a song about it” Have I mentioned yet that I have weird friends?

“Blow up a gerbil” …and sometimes slightly morbid.

“RaRw Laugh Lotz!”

“Aeris Aiden” Two children showing me they could write their names.

“Sytte Under Tree and Snoyre” A friend of mine had just gotten back from a long trip and was tired.

“Be Merry Find our Family” They were looking for the rest of their family at Faire.

“Be happy & play with fairys”

“Before you judge someone walk a mile in there shoe because then when you judge them you will be a mile away from them and you will have there shoes.” Yeah… my little brother…

“Remember to do your homework”

“Keep in touch!” Suggestion from a friend on the last day of Faire.

“Be merry throughout everything, For you are, in fact, still alive”

“Sing A New Song every Day”

“Hang out with us instead” A friend wanted me to spend the day with them.