TRAYNED BANDES

Our events typically involve various entertainments and activities of the period: food, singing, dancing, crafts, fencing, games, and often a mock battle. In contrast with many amateur living history groups, we also try to recreate the less tangible social aspects of society, principally through the first-person or ‘persona' style of living history. We do not require participants to be in character all the time, but we try to foster an atmosphere in which this kind of living history comes easily. In general, our goal is to allow people to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the past. To assist newcomers, we keep a supply of loaner clothing and equipment; we also have basic written materials available for those who are interested... The Bandes are also heavily involved in research and education. We have produced a series of publications for living history, as well as having been involved in the production of Daily Life in Elizabethan England, published by Greenwood Press in 1995...