The Daring Douglasses -- A Comedy Fire Eating Show -- Show History Page 02

Most likely the concept for The Daring Douglasses has been kicking around inside the mind of Sean Miller since he first learned to eat fire from Merlin Daniels. Howe'er, before the show could come into being Sean had to perfect his craft first and learn a few things about staging a show along the way.

To that end, Sean has been performing professionally since 1993. He began doing private shows as a Storyteller and Magician. Then, in 1996, he added the consumption of fire to the list of skills and show types he offered. He had held off from doing this before because of his concerns over insurance and his liability in case something went wrong.

Even though nothing has ever gone wrong, Sean decided the best thing to do was to start carrying a performer's liability insurance policy. After much searching, he found a group policy to join that covers not only the fire liability but also general liability up to $2,000,000.00. That being taken care of, it was now time to do some serious planing and development.

In 1994, while working for Mottik, Inc., Sean went to his first Renaissance Faire. The next year, he was working as a Street Character for The Greater Pittsburgh Renaissance Faire. Since then, he has worked at seven different faires in five states. He has worked as a street character, storyteller, stage act, and vendor. Always trying to learn more and better understand the business behind how the various faires are staged, he has now become the person that many of the new performers are sent to when they start asking questions about how the faire system works.

As a performer, Sean set his sight on putting together and performing in a stage show. He has written several; some of which were produced and some have yet to be.

The idea for The Daring Douglasses was always as a tandem male-female show, and Sean had his eye out for a partner for several years until 2000 when he said, "The Blazes with it." and went ahead and started performing the show as a solo at The Greater Pittsburgh Renaissance Faire.

While the show worked, it lacked the comedy the he knew was inherent in the show's concept. Still, it was good enough to get him booked into three additional faires in 2001. During that time, he realized that until he could find that one person who was willing not only to learn the skills needed for the show, but to also make the road commitment, he would have to train three or four people and then use whomever was available for the show dates in question. This was not the best solution, but it has proven to be workable.

At the 2001 Great Lakes Mediaeval Festival, Sean worked as Connar Douglass, the leader of the traveling performers who were hired to entertain at The King's Feast. When he was not busy with the feast, he worked in the lanes, driving nails into the center of a human head. All the while keeping his eyes open for a possible partner. Sara DeNunzio was working the faire as a street character. On a whim, Sean asked her if she would be interested in learning how to eat fire and working The Greater Pittsburgh Faire with him. She was interested, and Sean taught her the art of fire consumption and the basics of The Daring Douglasses Stage Show.

Due to the fact that Sara was still in college, Sean kept looking and by year's end had added two more partners to the show, Kristi Ward and Sarah McGuigan. He had known and worked with both before and knew their strengths and that a certain chemistry existed between each of them and himself. True, the show is slightly different depending upon who steps on stage with him, but that's what makes life interesting.

It was perhaps that the Lady Fortune smiled on his endeavor for as he began training both Kristi and Sarah, Sara was offered a position with another show that was too good to turn down. Not wanting to stand in her way and understanding completely, Sean gave her his blessing and sent her on her way knowing that someday he would look upon what she had attained and where she was and be able to smile knowing he had some small part in that.

So it was that in May of 2002 that Kristi stepped forward and became Sean's primary partner on stage. The show changed to accommodate her and how she and Sean worked together. For the foreseeable future she is the dominate partner with the stage show, but there have been and are shows that her schedule will not allow her to make for one reason or another.

Thus, in the fall of 2002, Sean took on another student and began the training process again. The major difference being that this time, the student was his long time friend, Dan Brown. Dan learned quickly and stepped on stage as Red's younger brother, Hobb, at The Great Plains Renaissance Faire for the first time. Having a second male on stage made several changes necessary to the show, but the basic plot line and thrust of the show have remained the same.

It is Sean's hope that, from somewhere across the river of time, a full time partner will be found. Until that time, he will continue to refine and polish The Daring Douglasses Show both in it's Tandem and Solo forms in order to present to you and your audience the best possible show he can.