Biographies

Maestro Hirsch von Henford, OL, OP
Baron of the Court of the West

(Per pale Or and vert,
two stag's heads erased
respectant counterchanged.)

Mundanely Known as Ken Mayer:

Photo by Tim Converse, 2001	I graduated college in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. While earning my degree my activities ranged from acting and directing to building sets and stage managing. My senior project helped revive the student-only productions on the campus as well. Realizing that finding a job in theatre would be difficult at best, I minored in computer science, which is where I earn a living, (currently) doing some independent contracting as a dBASE developer and some QA work (and looking for a real full-time job). Ken's Business Website I never dreamed that 7 years after I graduated college I would start an acting troupe ...
In the SCA: Photo by S.N. Jacobson, 2005	I am a rather busy person in the SCA, doing a wide variety of things, many of them behind the scenes (managing several websites, etc.). The list of my activities is long enough that I don't want to bore you here with them. Instead, you can get some idea by going to: The GoldenStag.net website where links to many of my works can be found. Briefly: I started in the SCA in Oertha (Alaska), before it was a Principality, helped found the Shire (now Barony) of Winter's Gate (Fairbanks), the Shire (now Barony) of Earngyld (Juneau, and only sort of helped there, they had started before I moved there, and continued well after I left), and the College of St. Boniface (University of Alaska, Fairbanks). I held several offices in Oertha ranging from Arts to Herald. I started doing jewelry in Oertha and that's what I got my Laurel for. After moving to the Principality of the Mists (the Bay Area), I stayed active with the heralds, and am currently Golem Pursuivant (in charge of computer related activities). My work with the heralds is what I was granted membership in the Order of the Pelican for. I am a member of the Orders of the Laurel and the Pelican, a Baron of the Court of the West, the Queen's Order of Grace, have been awarded the Western Roll of Honor, and several other awards over the 25 years or so I've been in the SCA. Golden Stag Players specifically related: I am the founder of the Golden Stag Players, and the name of the troupe is taken from the fact that I use the gold stag's head (there are two, one is green) from my SCA armory as a personal badge. I took the name from the gold stag's head, and it has stuck, as it were. The logo for the Golden Stag Players is a modification by my very talented wife Aldith ... I am usually only seen on stage doing the prologue for the plays, most of which I have directed, unless someone else in the troupe feels a need to do so. Not wanting to sound completely like a megalomaniac, the Golden Stag Players have always been a team effort. While I am the 'founder' of the troupe, it never would have gotten off the ground without the efforts of everyone, and we wouldn't still be here all these (mumble-mumble - since 1991) years after we started without the hard work of all the members of the troupe. I didn't do it all myself, and don't make any claims otherwise.

In addition to the above, he's helped with sets (more in the early days, less in the later, as others "took charge" of that), make-up (the few times we've tinkered with it), program design, production, working with site autocrats for performances, website design, and whatever else might need to be done.

As Prologue in Our Kind I Photo by Hal Ravn	As Prologue in Arlecchino's Surprise Photo by Hal Ravn	As Prologue in A California Vacuum Cleaner Salesman in the BOG Court Photo by Hal Ravn
As Prologue in Ralph Roister Doister Photo by Hal Ravn	As Prologue in The Tale of the Cotswold Lion Photo by Leonard Zubkoff	As Prologue in The Twin Captains Photo by Juan Santiago

As Prologue in The Jealous Baker Photo by Aldith Angharad St. George

As Prologue in The Jealous Baker Photo by S.N. Jacobson

As Prologue in The English King of France Photo by Carolyn J. Eaton

From the show on Bravo's TV network titled "The Actor's Studio", members of the troupe have been asked to answer the following questions if they wish (if no responses, the troupe member has either chosen to not answer the questions, or hasn't gotten around to it ...):

Question	Answer
What is your favorite word?	I don't really have a favorite word ...
What is your least favorite word?	No
What turns you on?	My friends -- hanging out, chatting, schmoozing ...
What turns you off?	Idiocy and stupidity (of which there are WAY too much of these days)
What sound do you love?	Good guitar (Eric Clapton, Carlos Montoya, Nancy Wilson, Mark Knopfler, Sonny Landreth ...)
What sound do you hate?	Squealing brakes on the freeway
What is your favorite curse word?	Fuck (and variations ... "Fuck You", "Fuck It" ...)
What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?	Music/Dance (Have to learn to dance, first ...)
What profession would you not like to participate in?	It's a toss-up between waste disposal and undertaker.
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?	Ok, you can stop working now.

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