Authenticity at Society shows

While all members of the Society have a role to play in maintaining a high standard of authenticity, there are two key roles at Society events:

• The Authenticity Lead has overall responsibility for authenticity at the event, in collaboration with the show organisers, LHE lead and Hersir.
• The Responsible CAT is the Certified Authenticity Thegn responsible for conducting and administering advanced kit checks at the event.

If the Authenticity Lead and Responsible CAT are two different people, they really should make contact before the show and agree how to get in touch with each other at the event if the need arises. They are the most visible face of The Authenticity Team at the show.

Between them, they will make sure that show-specific information such as datelines and the time/place for kit checks is distributed through the usual society channels in advance.

When and where to be authentic Any member of the Vikings Society is expected to be fully authentic in appearance while they are in authentic kit, in the living history encampment, battlefield or areas where the public have access, during the contracted show hours. The Society's authenticity requirements do not apply: in the plastic camp or other areas where there is no public access; outside the contracted show hours.

Roles

The Authenticity Lead

Every show (minor, medium and major) must have a designated Authenticity Lead. They are responsible for:

• ensuring that clear advice on the event’s authenticity requirements is published in advance, i.e. the dateline and which Society kit guidelines will apply;
• liaison with show organiser and LHE lead on authenticity matters;
• touring the LHE with the designated Living History lead and attending to any issues jointly;
• notifying the Authenticity High Thegn of any issues and how they were resolved, following the show.

For the duration of the show, the Authenticity Lead has the final say on any/all matters of authenticity, but will be expected to consult any CATs present (especially on contentious issues, and/or if they are not a CAT themself).

Responsible CAT (RCAT)

Every major show and some medium shows will have an RCAT. They are responsible for:

• the organisation and administration of advanced (Drengr) kit checks, including ensuring sufficient CATs will be present, establishing what tests are needed;
• ensuring all documentation is completed afterwards;
• notifying the Authenticity High Thegn of any issues and how they were resolved, following the show.

A Responsible CAT may also act as the Authenticity Lead for the event.

Being an Authenticity Lead

Being an Authenticity Lead for a medium or major show involves being organised, being accessible and sending a few emails. It is not intended to be a huge burden.

Ideally we would like every CAT to be able to do this role at one show each season. In practice other commitments (family, availability, location, other Society roles etc) will make this very unlikely. Some people may not want the responsibility, while others may enjoy it. The most important principle is that the effort should be spread around a group of people, so that it isn’t too much for any one person.

An authenticity lead may involve other CATs as necessary (e.g. for testing) and is free to delegate tasks – but the designated lead remains responsible for authenticity at the show, and will be held accountable for any decisions made.

Who should be Authenticity Lead?

The Authenticity Lead will vary depending on the size and organisation of the event.

• Minor show – the Group Authenticity Officer of the host/organising group will normally be the Authenticity Lead. If there is no Group Authenticity Officer, or if they are not present, the role falls to the Group Leader of the host group by default.
• Medium show – the Group Authenticity Officer of the host/organising group will normally be the Authenticity Lead. If there is no Group Authenticity Officer, or if they are not present, the Group Leader of the host group may fulfil the role. Depending on the scale of the event, the host group may invite a CAT to act as Authenticity Lead.
• Major show – a CAT from the Society authenticity team will act as Authenticity Lead. They may also act as Responsible CAT, or the two roles may be carried out by separate individuals.

Authenticity Lead task list

Before the show:

1. Agree the dateline and character of the show, in discussion with the Society’s group or officers responsible for organising the event. This may be a specific event (793 raid on Lindisfarne, 1016 Ashdown etc) or a generic period (late 9th century Viking raid).
2. Ensure that the dateline of the show and the expected kit/character types are communicated clearly to the Society (e.g. 1066 Battle of Hastings; late eleventh century English and Normans; no Rus Vikings). This information should be included as part of the event submission, published on the Members’ site and may be repeated in announcements on Vmail. If necessary (especially for larger shows), the Authenticity Lead should contact the relevant Regional Special Events Co-ordinator to ensure that the Members’ site has up-to-date information.
3. Find out if any guest groups (i.e. from outside the Vikings Society) are expected;
4. Make contact with the other officers responsible for organising the show, including the Responsible CAT (if different to the Authenticity Lead), LHE co-ordinator and Battle Captain/Hersir, usually by email.

At the show:

1. When the show formally opens (i.e. LHE is fully authentic), do a tour of the living history encampment to identify any issues. Wherever possible this should be done together with the show’s LHE co-ordinator so that authenticity and LH issues can be dealt with dealt with consistently. This should be repeated at the start of each day;
2. If guests are present, conduct Guest kit checks and advise on issues (i.e. is the kit appropriate for the date and location of the show). If a Responsible CAT is present, this may be done in collaboration or by whichever individual feels best placed. If required, other CATs should be involved; if guest groups have LHE equipment, the Responsible CAT, Authenticity Lead and LHE co-ordinator should review together;
3. Deal with any authenticity issues reported by members or other CATs (modern kit, inappropriate behaviour e.g. smoking in kit, out of period costume etc);
4. Have the final say on authenticity matters for the duration of the show only. If items or costume are requested to be removed, it may only be for public hours at the show. The Authenticity Lead will be expected to consult with other CATs and other relevant Society officers (LHE thegns, H&S officers, Hersir) if there is doubt whether an item is appropriate and/or safe for the date and location.

• If the Authenticity Lead is not a CAT, they may only instruct that an item which does not meet the Society’s authenticity guidelines be removed from public view for the duration of that show.
• If the Authenticity Lead is a CAT, they may instruct that an item which does not meet the Society’s authenticity guidelines be removed from use at events where the public is present.

After the show:

1. Send a summary report to the Authenticity High Thegn. This report may be short but should cover:

• any significant issues which arose, what decisions were made, who was involved, and what the result was. If there were any incidents where members of the Society or guests were asked to remove kit or costume from public display, they must be reported;
• any general comments or feedback on the standard of authenticity at the event.

Being an RCAT

As the title suggests, the Responsible CAT is the member of the Society authenticity team who has agreed to oversee formal Society authenticity business at the show. The Responsible CAT may also act as Authenticity Lead.

Who can be an RCAT?

The RCAT must be a Certified Authenticity Thegn. The role may not be fulfilled by Group Authenticity Officers or trainee CATs (kittens).

The RCAT will involve other CATs as necessary (e.g. for testing) and is free to delegate tasks – but they remain responsible administration of advanced kit checks at the show and will be held accountable for any decisions made.

Responsible CAT task list

Before the show:

1. Find out which CATs and Kittens will be attending (usually by email);
2. Invite any member of the Society wanting kit checks to make themselves known (either individuals and/or group leaders), usually through Vmail;
3. Notify CATs, Kittens and candidates where and when advanced kit checks will take place;
4. Make contact with the Authenticity Lead for the show (where the Responsible CAT does not fulfil this role), for example by email;

At the show:

1. If guests are present, support the Authenticity Lead to conduct Guest kit checks and advise on issues (i.e. is the kit appropriate for the date and location of the show). If required, other CATs should be involved; if guest groups have LHE equipment, the Responsible CAT, Authenticity Lead and LHE co-ordinator should review together;
2. Conduct advanced (Drengr) kit checks at the time and place specified;
3. Ensure that any trainee CATs (kittens) have an appropriate opportunity to participate in and learn from kit checks;
4. If the opportunity arises, meet members of the Society who have been given conditional/part passes and confirm whether they have made the necessary changes to their kit;
5. Oversee pre-arranged monitoring visits to review the authenticity of Society groups attending the show, potentially in conjunction with the LHE co-ordinator;
6. If the Responsible CAT is not also the Authenticity Lead, offer advice as necessary in the event that any questions or issues arise.

After the show:

1. Update the Society database with full details of all kit checks conducted at the show;
2. Send a summary report to the Authenticity High Thegn. This report may be short but should cover:

• details of changes to kit made by members with conditional/part passes;
• any significant issues which arose, what decisions were made, who was involved, and what the result was. If there were any incidents where members of the Society or guests were asked to remove kit or costume from public display, they must be reported;