Continued from the previous blog post about the Medieval Times afternoon show we attended (click HERE)...
The show ended. The lights came up. The arena stood empty. The last spectators shuffled out except for the group from Brian's work. We got a behind-the-scenes tour!
All afternoon the horses exiting the arena would to thundering out through a darkened chute. Where did they go? Here! The dark space on the right side of the photo leads to the arena. When those horses left the arena at full tilt, they must have put on the "brakes" and turned very quickly.
Although the show had just ended, the Medieval Times team was already in high gear preparing for the dinner show. The knights and squires turned from acting and worked to get the props reorganized and ready. The guy pictured on the right is grinding a sword edge back into shape. We also saw guys spray-painting shields and rebundling thin, easy-to-shatter balsa wood ribs onto jousting lances.
Gear for the horses is spread out to air on special poles.
We got to visit the horses in their stables too. Everything was super tidy and organized. The horses work for several days and then they are cycled out for a break on a nearby ranch while other horses come in to take their place.
The horses obviously work hard, but get lots of pampering. They were eager for nose pats.
Our last stop was the costume shop. There was a huge, industrial washer and dryer set chugging away to get everything clean plus a sewing machine stood at the ready to repair any garment in need.
One of the actors showed us around and answered our questions. He's been with Medieval Times for over twenty years, starting as a squire and then moving up to be one of the main knight actors. That job is very physical with horsemanship, medieval game skills, heavy weapons, and carefully choreographed fight scenes. When it got too tough to do it multiple times a day, he became stage manager and narrator. Many of the actors start very young -- right out of high school -- and work their way up.
The crowns for the king and princess of the show...
And a little reminder of how all the parts come together. This is a reminder poster for staff near the backstage bathrooms.
Where was this show hosted? It looks nice and interesting. I am an explorer and love to gather information about ancient items like medieval armor, swords etc. I have seen people buying such items in the form of their replica which are available for sale too.
Posted by: russ carswell | 13 May 2014 at 06:40 AM
This post is about the Medieval Times show located in Lawrenceville, GA just outside Atlanta.
Posted by: Valerie J. Frey | 14 May 2014 at 05:11 PM