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WANTED: Frolicking fools, lords and ladies, swashbuckling pirates and medieval merchants to take part in the Shakespeare Family Renaissance Faire.

“The more, the merrier,” said Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre Production Manager Claudia Lively.

Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre — teaming up with the Society for Creative Anachronism — is putting on the fair at the end of June and is looking for people to fill demonstration booths, play period music and volunteer for the day.

Almost every aspect of the event is open for more people, from musicians, like harpists and Celtic dancers, madrigal singers and small ensembles, to volunteers to take tickets, sell food or help keep the area clean.

“We’d like to get people doing pottery and quilting, and handmade craft goods that have something to do with the time,” Lively said. “Anywhere from about 1050 up to 1600 is the Renaissance era we’re looking for.”

People taking part will have the freedom to choose a persona for the day.  “What we want is for vendors and performers and volunteers to all have personalities and their own characters. You can be a peasant or a lord or a lady, or anything along the way, or be a pirate or a fairy. You can be a lot of things,” Lively said.

Plenty of vendors and demonstrations are already in place for the event, with the help of Society for Creative Anachronism members, who will create a mini village filled with stations where children and adults can get a close look at weaving, dancing and armored fighting.

“Most of the people up here are into the indoor-style arts, like brewers and armor makers,” said Michele Griffin, the Baroness of the local SCA chapter.

Throughout the day, Society for Creative Anachronism members will demonstrate historical re-enactments of fights.

“After the demonstrations, we’ll have boffer stations allowing them to try different styles but in a safe environment,” Griffin said.  The June 28 faire will include a “whole legion of belly dancers,” yarn spinning and glass blowing demonstrations, and a giant games area, including a life-sized chessboard and a ring-shooting area. A faerie land will be set up as a play area for children, and maze set up as the Knight’s Castle.

“There will be a bunch of other larger-than-life games and a bunch of historical games,” Lively said. “We’ll have root beer and turkey legs and meat on a stick and potatoes and corn, and lots of desserts and all kinds of good things.”

The Renaissance Faire is part of the Alaska Shakespeare Festival, new to the area this year, and includes Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre’s productions “Twelfth Night” and “Taming of the Shrew.” The event will include theatrical productions of “Taming of the Shrew” and a “rotten tomato play” performed by the junior company.  “You can buy tomatoes and throw them at these bad actors,” Lively said.

The Renaissance Faire is a “pleasure faire,” as opposed to a “re-enactment fair,” so dressing in character is optional, though certainly encouraged.

“There are a lot of costumes available online if people want to buy them, or the fabric stores have a lot of costume patterns for medieval patterns,” Lively said. “It’s kind of like having Halloween in the summer. It’s a chance to play storyland for everybody.”

Shakespeare Family Renaissance Faire will be held from noon to 8 p.m. June 28 at Jack Townsend Point on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. To volunteer or take part or for more information, contact Claudia Lively at 457-7638 or e-mail claudia@fstalaska.org.