Staying in character?

[3rdssmann]

I believe every reenactor has placed some thoughts onto the subject of character. The question is that do we as reenactors down play this topic rather than use a character to its full advantage? Every reenactor that has been in the hobby long enough and has shown even a miniscule amount of interest into authenticity has, in his own mind, put thought into his "character," a first person persona. However, time after time I notice that it is more joked about or ignored. Here across the pond I have only met a handful of reenactors that actually try to stay in character during events.

To get to the point, I have placed much thought into my “character.” However at events I find staying in character difficult, when most do not want to “play along.” Now I do not feel that it has to be about acting as much as just going by your characters name or referring to your chosen hometown. This is something that anyone who has filled out their soldbuch has thought about. As I mentioned before I have only met a few reenactors who have honestly stayed in character for an event. In my personal opinion character could only add to the realism of any event. Something as simple as keeping to your characters name is one step. Here in the US our populous is made up of backgrounds from ever y part of the globe. If you are part of a unit that chooses to do a German impression wouldn’t it make more sense to go by a German name? Even further, wouldn’t going by a German name at a public battle or display make that display more convincing? Now this touches another subject of speaking English as German reenactors, but that is something not as easily fixed on this side of the world. None the less, being at a public event and hearing one German reenactor calling another by the the name O’Connelly does not do us much justice. Nothing against any O'Connelly's out there, merely just an example.

Each year we as reenactors spend money on going to events and purchasing uniforms and weapons and feeding those weapons blanks. We strive to look the part but what about acting the part? In a perfect world we would all be able to speak the language that the soldiers who we try to recreate spoke, but the next best thing could be making a history for the soldier you are creating. I personally make my character simple. I have just molded my personal life and experiences and placed them into the context of a soldier in that era. I don’t try to act as much as I try to stay on top of things like responding to my “German name,” or referring to past experiences and changing place names. I am not trying to sound like a Hollywood wannabe or turn reenacting into a Broadway production, in fact that is far from it. I just want to know what everyone thinks of going that extra mile when it comes to replicating the soldiers of the Greatest Generation? Heck we all attempt our best at filling out soldbuch’s, but how often are they truly seen? Especially by the public who we are trying to educate? However they can hear us talking and see our gestures. Just my zwei pfennings, what do you think?


-3rdssmann

[Jaws]

Use your ranks. Much easier than trying to remember names.

Regards,

Gary.

[gdfuseddie]

Fortunately my real name is Karl, so it made sense to make my character name Karl also, so it has never been a problem in reponding. I do see your point though as in our group we often say that looking the part of being a soldier is really only achievable by acting like a soldier. Some of us have been in the military so this is second nature and most of the guys try to act like a soldier, but some can never really get it right.

I have to agree that after going to the effort of creating a complete false personality so you can fill in your Soldbuch, it would be great to get everyone into character. I suppose that it just isn't as easily said as done in some peoples eyes.

[3rdssmann]

Very good points made kameraden. I have just always wondered what it would be like to actually put the same effort into staying in character as we do coming up with an alter ego to mark our soldbuchs with. I agree it is almost impossible to achieve and keeping it simple by going by your rank is the way to go. Not to mention staying in complete character sounds like it could be very exhausting when you think about it. Anyways thanks for the response and lets see what else can be added to this topic!

[Gilhusen]

how can we stay in character while fighting bullet-proof yanks

[Gadge]

It's slightly easie with a British group but still a pain in the arse staying in character.

I keep forgetting as an officer these days I shouldnt be calling Nigel whose a corporal 'nigel' but 'Cheatam' or 'Corporal' or better still getting by Sgt to get him to do stuff

We pretty much all ty and stay in character all event, even when talking to the public if I'm needed to help explain something I'll here a call for 'Major Harvey, do you have a minute Sir?' rather than 'Gadge, hows this work?'...

I think we only have two helps here, one we dont need to remember a foreign surname and two at least 50 per cent of us are ex forces so it comes fairly naturally.

I totally agree about some people *never* being soldierly no matter how hard they try, some folk have the entire QMS stores in their garage, know kings regulations backwards and are a font of historical knowledge and are *still* incapable of keeping time on a march, standing up properly, keeping their mits out of their pockets etc etc... (probabably pretty accurate for wwii conscripts mind you)

[manstein]

as a rule we always stay in character in fg39-45 we always use rank or german names and always pay complements to rank (another subject )

everyone has a soldbuch filled in with all details awards, rank, medical info (helps having a nurse and doctor in the group )

god help anyone that calls out a english name while on the display, it usally results in a punishment of some sort be it sentry duty or some form of pt.

we find it a lot easier to do this and it all adds to the display instead of people being called english names when we are in uniform even out of uniform we use german names sometimes as we have got to know the person by the german name and it just sticks and keeps the bonds of the group going

[Hoffman Grink]

Scott - you don't need to be in character - you just ARE a character!

[whatthecrunchyo]

You are probably right, but unfortunately, this is a little too make believe for me. I can't bring myself to fully submerse myself into a roll for days at a time. Reenacting is meant to be fun and I don't think I could have any like that. I'm not trying to sound rude, but we all have our limits as far as we are willing to take the hobby from each perspective...and my involvement is limited to the look and feel aspects, not necessarily full immersion.

[barryG]

I think FG39-45 have it spot on, it does sound crap when someone shouts your name in English.... but hey we are

[Hoffman Grink]

Should the Non German Speakers "Schpeak in zis manner und ven vee vont to do zumsink, Schout ein lott und Schtampen die fussen?"
Vot du You sink Von Bazzer? Sehr Gut Jah?

[barryG]

I think we could learn a huge amount from ello ello! I sink a lot ov people sink ze German accent haz to be like in der filmz... ya!
I can just about do a passable, if modern German accent but I feel very self concious doing so... as would a lot of us.

Tom Cruise didnt feel any need to adopt an accent in Valkaryie and he was getting paid

[gebirgs soldat]

This is a recurring theme out west...

I've about given up on getting more than three of my gruppe to speak only German at an event...

It makes me want to become a private again, and just follow the gruppen fuhrer around... but if I did that everyone would be annoyed with me because "I" speak 99% percent German and stay in character 99% of an event!
Ausgezeichnet!

I believe that if you are reenacting German, you should be able to speak German (only enough to speak as a child is sufficient)..

I didn't switch over from U.S. to German until I could understand enough German to get by...

WALT

[whatthecrunchyo]

This is a recurring theme out west...

I've about given up on getting more than three of my gruppe to speak only German at an event...

It makes me want to become a private again, and just follow the gruppen fuhrer around... but if I did that everyone would be annoyed with me because "I" speak 99% percent German and stay in character 99% of an event!
Ausgezeichnet!

I believe that if you are reenacting German, you should be able to speak German (only enough to speak as a child is sufficient)..

I didn't switch over from U.S. to German until I could understand enough German to get by...

WALT

I would tell ya that if that were to happen, there wouldn't be any German reenactors left! I can speak it slightly because I took two years of it, but because I am out of practice, it takes me too long to put sentences together so I just say the hell with it. I look like an idiot trying to speak it.

[Chomley-Warner]

I...Tom Cruise didnt feel any need to adopt an accent in Valkaryie and he was getting paid

Exactly! Occasionally, a MoP stood chatting at the rope would say, in jest, "Well, you don't sound very German" to which my jocular reply could be either "Madam, it's just that you understand German very well" or "Thank you madam, my father was an attaché to the German embassy in London and I was educated at Eton and Oxford many years before the war - I have such a high regard for the English language and I'm trying to keep my hand in".