About Us

The Guilde of Sainte Marie welcomes you to join them in the glittering and captivating Royal Courts of the 16th Century!

The Guilde of Sainte Marie was officially formed in December of 2003 with a core membership of 10 members. We wanted a place to play, and chose first the French courts of the 16th century as our medium. Our first event was Fresno City college in 2004 as the Court of Henri III and Louise [portrayed as Dauphin and Dauphine], and since then we have done nothing but grow and grow stronger.

Our Mission Statement

The Guilde of Sainte Marie is a not-for-profit historical reenactment society dedicated to the portrayal of noble class life in the 16th Century during the height of the Renaissance Period. Whether performing as a French or English noble court, we strive to maintain historical accuracy in our characterization, set, costumes, language and staging. Each re-creationist is important in our Guilde, from the household companion to the guard to the courtier to the monarch. As in the time period, each would not exist without the other, and each thrives of the other. We are a family on and off-stage.

Our historical purpose is to teach the rich cultural and personal history of the French House of Valois, focusing on the somewhat lackadaisical yet passionate leadership of Henri III, a king who not only had to deal with civil unrest and consistant challenges to his government, but also his very strong and domineering mother Catherine de Medicis, his cunning sister Queen Margot and his extremely self-centered brother François, duc of Alencon. Juxtaposed with this is the King's relationships with his favourites, les mignons, and the unwavering support of his wife, Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont.

A sub-focus of ours is the dynamic and intriguing history of one of England's greatest monarchs, Elizabeth I. We show her early struggles as a young unmarried Queen in a familiar yet hostile realm where men ruled and women were traditionaly considered mere consorts.

Our guilde boasts over 100+ combined years in Renaissance Faire and general acting/performing experience. We now have a strong membership of 20+ dedicated and hard-working actors who strive for as close to perfection as is possible when dealing with historical reenactment. Not only do we want to portray our characters in all of their pomp, circumstance and glory, but also we want to show them as real life human beings in their element and lifestyle. Our focus and casting reflects family: stressing the ties that bound families together through blood and marriage. We strive to portray the human-interest side of history, and while we want to teach, we want to have fun too! We are by all means not authorities in the period, but consider ourselves students and teachers as one.