Dear Community,
As the Earth sleeps beneath the frost, the wheel of the year turns evermore. The sun begins a gradual return to our northern skies; snowdrops emerge through the frozen ground; life stirs anew. And so, we invite those who feel called to the role of Green Man to make themselves known.
The role and expectations:
The Green Man has appeared in cultures across the world throughout human history; there is no one way to define Him. In the context of our festivals, He is a living embodiment of the Earth’s cyclical nature; He grows, dies and is reborn each year, experiencing the world for the first time to some extent and gaining wisdom through the process to become who He needs to be to join the May Queen in bringing about the new season.
The May Queen this year will be embodied by Màiri McKay. You can read her thoughts on her May Queen and Green Man here.
Each year’s Green Man takes a different journey and expresses His story in a different way. This has often been through dance, but that is not a requirement. He is always, however, a significant figure in our festival’s rituals and traditions and you will be expected to work closely with the May Queen, Blues, GOs, and Contractors, and engage with the wider community in the co-creation and sharing of the Beltane story. Exactly how this looks is for you to decide. While some of the Green Man’s story is well-established, our festivals are living, creative reimaginings of old traditions and they thrive on growth and new ideas
To get a feel for what’s expected of a BFS Court member, you can read the Court Role Description here.
What we look for:
As ever, please note that factors such as gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, age, race and physical ability are not criteria used in the selection of any BFS Court figure.
The most essential criteria relate to treating others with respect and adhering to the BFS Code of Conduct. Then, we look variously for things like recent and active participation in BFS festivals, interpersonal skills, a respect for and embodiment of the principles and qualities of the community, and the ability to inspire and to bring people together. We also look for performance and presence, for the ability to bring the role to life–attributes that you may have demonstrated in roles within or outwith BFS.
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. If you feel like you don’t fit the profile of previous Green Men, please do not let this hold you back; He may be found in anyone.
Putting yourself forward for consideration is a vulnerable and sometimes challenging thing to do, and we endeavour to be kind and fair to all applicants. You can read more about selection criteria and processes here.
Key dates:
There is some flexibility here–lack of availability for a given date does not automatically exclude a potential candidate–but please note that the Green Man is expected to engage and be present in some capacity for most of the key dates below.
Interviews: 24th/25th January
We make a shortlist of applications once all are received and invite those on the shortlist to interview with a panel of Blues, the May Queen and a Board representative. We endeavour to make interviews feel relaxed and informal and we do our best to guide interviewees to fully explore their ideas.
GO Weekend (provisional): 14-15th February
Open Meeting (provisional): 21st February
Walkthroughs: 12th and 26th of April
GO meetings: Tuesday evenings throughout the runup.
How to apply:
Please send your applications to blues@beltane.org by Monday 19th January, 11.59pm. Include your name, contact details, any availability notes, and up to 500 words about what draws you to the role and any ideas you have for your embodiment and performance of the Green Man. If it’s more accessible for you, you can send us this information as a video or audio message instead – this should be no more than 5 minutes long. The video or audio option is just an alternative to writing; we’re not looking for any “performance” within your message, just to hear your words!
We also invite the BFS community to submit the names of any members that they would like to nominate anonymously for the role of Green Man. A nomination can plant a seed for ideas and inspire those who may be perfect for the role but need a nudge to see the Green Man in themselves.
If you’d like to nominate someone, please email blues@beltane.org with their name, a short statement telling us why you think they’d be a good Green Man, and some form of contact details for them. (If they use different names in different spaces, that’s helpful for us to know!). The Blues will then contact them to let them know they have been nominated, and invite them to apply should they wish to.
The deadline for community nominations is Tuesday 13th January, 11:59pm. This allows Blues time to reach out to those nominated, and for those individuals to have time to consider the role and put an application together should they wish.
Should you have any questions at all about the role and its requirements, or are considering applying but feel uncertain, please email blues@beltane.org.
With love and warmth for the dark season,
Your Blues
❤
Beltane Fire Society 