User:I.blame.rome/article on Bawdily Harm

Bawdily Harm is a comedic, stage combat show that performs at renaissance festivals in the Midwest United States. The group's irreverent humor and well-choreographed fights have made them a favorite of the festivals where they perform. Bawdily Harm was voted 3rd Best Stage Combat Group in 2011 by listeners of Marc Gunn's Renaissance Festival Podcast, and 2nd Best Stage Combat Group in 2012.

The Show
Bawdily Harm entertains their audiences by combining European martial arts and insult comedy against one another in a competition for national pride. Each of the members of Bawdily Harm hails from a different country in Europe, pitting them against one another in a competition of wits and blades as they attempt to settle which of their countries is the greatest nation the world has ever seen. The performers in Bawdily Harm fight with a variety of weapons, from standard épées, short swords, and rapiers and daggers, to flaming torches and even a trident.

The Cast
Bawdily Harm is a bi-gender Western martial arts group consisting of three performers. The current cast consists of:
 * Devon Blackhook, the Spaniard - portrayed by Cliff Lawson, also a member of The Jolly Rogers
 * Mistress Cygnette, the Frenchie - portrayed by Emily Brattin, also a member of SAG-AFTRA
 * Richard 'Dick' Longfellow, the Englishman - portrayed by Nick Marion

Currently on hiatus:
 * Evan MacDonald, the Scotsman - portrayed by John Charlesworth

Former members:
 * Chuey O'Malley, the Irishman - portrayed by David Levin, now of the Musical Blades

History
Bawdily Harm, LLC was founded by Cliff Lawson in 2007, while performing with The Jolly Rogers and in IV Presents: Get Shrewed at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. In its first year, the original cast of characters in Bawdily Harm consisted of Evan MacDonald, Richard Longfellow, and Chuey O'Malley. Chuey O'Malley "jumped ship" the following year to join the Musical Blades as Chuey Blade - one year after its debut, Bawdily Harm spent the 2008 festival season on hiatus. Bawdily Harm returned to the stage at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival in 2009 with Chuey's replacement creating an entirely new dynamic. The 2009 cast of characters consisted of Evan MacDonald, Richard Longfellow, and Mistress Cygnette. The Scottish, English, and French trio performed together for two seasons before a second reconstruction of the cast took place. In 2011, IV Presents: Get Shrewed was retired and Cliff Lawson was available to perform with the group he had founded four years previously, shaking up the show's dynamic again with the new cast consisting of Richard Longfellow, Mistress Cygnette, and Devon Blackhook. Bawdily Harm currently performs at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival in the fall, and the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival at the Castle of Muskogee  in the late spring.