Dear friends,

As we reach the depths of midwinter, we feel the turn of the wheel once more, and look forward to the return of the light and warmth.  Although we may now be huddled against the cold and the dark, there exists still the spark that will grow into the warmth of Summer.  And so we now invite those who feel an affinity and connection with the role of Green Man to step forward, and make themselves known.

The Green Man is the consort of the May Queen, who will this year be embodied once again by Alixandra Prybyla.  As She makes Her progress, He must make his own journey, and finally through His death and rebirth become that which is worthy and capable of bringing in the season’s change at Her side.  His journey in the run up is sometimes more social, sometimes more solitary; but He is involved with some of the set pieces of the festival, and is expected to work closely with the May Queen in the co-creation and sharing of those elements of the story which might be prominent this year.  

A note on what we look for:

As ever, please note that factors such as gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status and physical ability are not criteria used in the selection of a Green Man.  In the first instance, we look variously for things like active participation with BFS festivals, interpersonal skills, a respect for and embodiment of the principles and qualities of the community, the ability to inspire, to bring people together.  We look for performance and presence, for the ability to bring the role to life.  Beyond these factors, it is more akin to casting than a job application – sometimes we find ourselves looking for the lightning strike, for the right person at the right time.  We endeavour to be kind and fair – the selection process is not one we take lightly.  There are many within our community who are capable of holding a Court role – please do not be held back by the belief that “someone like me” could not do it.  Come forth, come forth….

The small print:

Please send your applications to blues@beltane.org, including your name & contact number, and a few paragraphs about what draws you to the role and what ideas you have for your embodiment and performance of Him – no more than 500 words, if you’d like a guideline.  

If you’d like to nominate someone, please email us at blues@beltane.org with that person’s name, a short statement of why you think they’d be a good Green Man, and some form of contact details for them. (A small request – if they use a different name on social media, that’s helpful for us to know!)

Should you have any questions about the role and its requirements, please email blues@beltane.org, being mindful that we may not be able to answer immediately during the festive break.  

Community nominations deadline – 5th January (This is to allow Blues time to reach out to those nominated to ask them if they’d like to apply, and for those individuals to have time both to consider if they’d like to apply, and if so, to put an application together.  Some years we’ve not had a separate deadline, but this feels more fair.)

Self nomination deadline – Friday 12th January, 11.59pm. (We need time to consider applications and do shortlisting over that weekend.)

GM interviews – Weekend of 20th/21st January  (We make a shortlist of applications once all are received, and invite those on the shortlist for interview.  Shortlist numbers vary, but historically we’ve aimed for 2-4.)

GO Weekend – Weekend of 10th/11th February

Open Meeting – 17th/18th February tbc

GO meetings will be held on Tuesday evenings.  Walkthroughs are provisionally the 7th & 21st April

Love and warmth for the season, 

Your Blues
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