- What is it that you do? I am a founding member, Lady Rosaline Howard, and the social media mistress for Chaste Treasure. Chaste Treasure’s ladies bring a unique flair to sassy songs and modern parodies alike. Truly a “treasure,” but questionably “chaste,” their loose banter is comical while their tight harmonies mean business. From frolicking drinking songs to folk tunes to original parodies, Chaste Treasure has something for every music lover. As one of our fans so eloquently stated,
“A badass group of a cappella comedienne feminists.”
Photo credit : Larry John Novak Sr.
2. Where are you located? I am personally located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, but we have ladies located all over the country.
3. How did you get started in Renaissance Faires? I have been interested in being a performer since I can remember. My parents have been involved in the theater since before I was born, so I was always around actors and singers. I was lucky enough to be accepted to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and I graduated with a BFA in drama. I’d been visiting Renaissance faires since I was a teenager. I remember being knighted by Queen Elizabeth I at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire after winning a bunch of paper medals at the game booths. I’d never really thought about performing at one until I was called back for PARF (Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire) at the UPTAs. I was on the professional cast in 2009. Then in 2011 I auditioned for the New Jersey Renaissance Faire and was cast. I’ve never looked back.
4. How did you all become a group? Chaste Treasure was the brain child of both TJ Miller and Melissa Zadoyko at the New Jersey Renaissance Faire in 2013. Our first touring show was in 2014 at the Pittsburgh Renaissance Faire.
5. Where is your home faire? I consider the New Jersey Renaissance Faire my home faire, as that is where our group was conceived, and I am able to sleep in my own bed during the run of the show.
6. What is it you like best about performing at Renaissance Faire? I try to bring joy to our fans wherever we tour. We also pride ourselves in accepting everyone at our shows, no matter your age, race, or gender identity. We even wrote a song about acceptance called Nottingham. We are also very feminine positive and encourage women to be strong and independent with songs like Battle Raven and My Thing is my Own.
7. What’s your advice about getting into a Renaissance Faire as an act? Acting and singing is not an easy profession. You have to be realistic about this career we’ve chosen. Be ready to hear a whole lotta no’s. But keep at it. Keep training. Keep trying. If performing is your passion, you’ll find a way to do it. And never undervalue yourself. Get paid what you’re worth.
8. How do you handle copying or stealing your work? We’ve been very very lucky that so far (knock on wood), no one has used one of our original songs without our consent. Many groups ask us to sing Battle Raven, which was written by the talented Cat Kingsgrave. We appreciated being asked. If anyone approached the group about singing one of our songs, I’m sure we would be able to work out an agreement that all parties are happy with.
9. How else do you make money at this? We sell all of our CDs and our merchandise (pins and stickers) on our website, http://www.http://www.chastetreasure.com Our online shows are currently on hiatus, but you can catch 69 previous ones on our you tube channel, YouTube.com/chastetreasure
10. What is it about Renaissance Faires that you like? There’s something about the renaissance that is held on a pedestal. It was a period of tremendous advances in science, literature, and the arts. As an actor, Shakespeare alone makes the period so colorful.
11. Within the next 5 years, I would love to be performing more, whether at Renaissance festivals with Chaste Treasure, or on stage performing professionally in union houses.
12. What is your usual garb attire? I have two different gowns that I wear as Lady Rosaline Howard, Countess of Carlisle while singing with Chaste Treasure, depending on the weather. I also have a variety of jaunty hats/tiaras. I do stick with the color blue, as that’s the color I established the character with.
14. Chaste Treasure is a group comprised of noble ladies singing sassy, saucy songs, which is typically the opposite of what you’d expect. We do not fit into the stereotypical mold for upper class women of the time period. We are also very strong independent ladies, which is also unusual for the time period.
15. Our show is 90% improv other than the songs, so no two shows are alike. Unlike many other independent acts, you will never see the same show twice. Whether it’s seeing a different trio of ladies, or we go off on a tangent of ridiculousness, it’s never exactly the same, even when we sing the same songs.
17. If you’d like to join the wacky ladies of Chaste Treasure, there are a few requirements. First and foremost, you must be able to sing and hold harmonies. Second, you should be strong at improvising. Different stimuli occur at every show, and we have to be able to go with the flow. Third, you need to have a flexible enough schedule to be able to tour to the different shows. With so many ladies already on the docket, when we need to hire new singers, we typically have specific festivals that we need to cover. Fourth, have fun! If you’re not having fun, the audience doesn’t have fun. And really, is anything worth doing if you don’t enjoy it?! Especially working outside in extreme temperatures while wearing drapes!
18. There are SO many good food vendors!!! I personally appreciate Get Baked Potato Company and Mel’s Magikal Meals. They both take care of us on busy days. And they’re delicious, so that helps too!
19: I hope that Renaissance festivals continue to be a safe space for people who may not fit into mainstream society. It’s wonderful watching fans get to be their happy geeky selves while wearing whatever amazing cosplay, costume, or just fabulous attire that they made by hand. Having a bubble where people can escape their troubles and the “real world” for a small amount of time is so important right now. And if Chaste Treasure and Lady Rosaline can be a small part of that, than I’m happy!
20. Links? Find Chaste Treasure on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and Bluesky @ChasteTreasure . Visit our website to see our most up to date list of tour dates and all of our talented ladies at chastetreasure.com , and watch some of our performances on youtube.com/chastetreasure
Author’s Note: Thanks so much to Chaste Treasure wanting to be featured on the blog. I have seen them once in CT and I thought they were rather good. Please do make sure you do research on your own before hiring acts. This is just a promotional page to help others get noticed.
At this time, we are not accepting new interviews but fear not, I have a bunch coming up soon!
#HUZZAH!
