Olympic Theatre Arts throws Renaissance-era faire

Playing a delightful and delighted Queen Elizabeth I, Sarah Tucker enthused about Olympic Theatre Arts’ Renaissance Fair, held this past weekend.

“It’s been wonderful — absolutely wonderful,” she said, noting she was “very honored to take (Patricia McArthur’s) place” as the royal figure, and that McArthur gave her “lots of pointers.”

In addition to meeting the queen and fortune telling, visitors to the annual faire were treated to a wide variety of activities, including sword fighting lessons, story telling, scenes from Shakespeare plays, a puppet show, old games such as knucklebones and toss the rat, caricature drawings and goat-petting.

“Our volunteers and our vendors put together a great faire,” OTA executive director David Heberlin said. “They did a really great job.”

Tucker said that the Celtic Tarot Card reading OTA actress Susan Cates gave her was “spot on.”

Children were invited to participate in a scavenger hunt with a prize at the end, but volunteer B.J. Stallings said that adults got into the spirit of it too.

“I’ve given away 100 stickers (for completing parts of the hunt) to little kids and big kids,” she said.

“We have the best volunteers here,” OTA volunteer coordinator BZ Zabora said. “We are so fortunate.”

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / During Olympic Theatre Arts’ Renaissance Faire on Sunday, Queen Elizabeth I, played by Sarah Tucker, tosses a rat at the same time a hoop sales past her.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / During Olympic Theatre Arts’ Renaissance Faire on Sunday, Queen Elizabeth I, played by Sarah Tucker, tosses a rat at the same time a hoop sales past her.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / During Olympic Theatre Arts’ Renaissance Faire last weekend, members of “The Hobbit” production parade their dragon puppet Smaug through OTA’s parking lot.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / During Olympic Theatre Arts’ Renaissance Faire last weekend, members of “The Hobbit” production parade their dragon puppet Smaug through OTA’s parking lot.