The California Renaissance Pleasure Faire community has lost one of its most beloved figures with the passing of Will Wood this week. For decades, Will enchanted thousands of faire-goers as the legendary Sir Francis Drake at the original Renaissance Pleasure Faire and as the ethereal Father Christmas at the Great San Francisco Dickens Christmas Fair. His retirement to care for his beloved wife, Robin, just before the pandemic marked the end of an era for California's living history scene.
I first encountered Will in 1990, fresh off the boat from the UK at age 24, when I began working for Living History Center's chief instigator, Phyllis Patterson, in her enchanting redwood home nestled in the oak-studded hills of Black Point, Novato. The house, with its big windows overlooking San Francisco Bay where it meets the Petaluma River, served as headquarters for a vibrant creative community. Will had his own book-lined office within this artistic sanctuary, where crew meetings and famous Wednesday breakfasts brought together the eclectic mix of dreamers and doers who made the Renaissance Faire magic possible.
Coming from the stuffy buildings and formal attire of UK journalism and NHS public relations, this was a revelation. I traded skirt suits and brogues for sundresses and sandals, immersing myself in a world where creativity and authenticity reigned supreme. Will, with his genuine old-fashioned respect, dubbed me "the British Woman" – a title that made me feel both welcomed and special among the thousands of Elizabethan-English speaking performers.
Will was the quintessential California gentleman with his chiseled features, wavy gray hair and neatly trimmed moustache and beard. Out of costume, he was known for his wide range of trademark Hawaiian shirts, homemade with seasonal fabrics, his khaki shorts and Birkenstocks. An assortment of southwestern jewelry completed his distinctive style. He was quiet and contemplative, impeccably mannered and intuitive, collaborative and no-nonsense in his weekday work representing the Living History Center events at TV, newspaper and radio stations throughout the state.
In character, he transformed completely – suave and dynamic, commanding both stage and street. Performers were in awe of him, yet he remained humble in his encouragement and generous in sharing his skills. I can picture him at work in his small, neatly organized office in Phyllis' house, which served as headquarters for the Living History staff and crew. I worked in the room next to his, alongside Phyllis' assistant Kristin and several other team members who flowed in and out throughout the working week.
Will generously lent me books so I could learn more about the Elizabethan era depicted at the faire, particularly when I began taking on more duties in PR, including writing press releases. His scholarly approach to historical authenticity informed every aspect of his performances.
I was particularly enthralled by his embodiment of Father Christmas at the Great San Francisco Dickens Christmas Fair. In his crimson and fur robes, his beard and hair whitening naturally over the years, he literally stepped out of Dickens' world of Victorian London into the gas-lit, shadowy streets of a recreated old London by the Bay. Countless thousands of grown-ups and children retain this memory of him – a figure of wonder who made Christmas magic tangible.
My favorite memory of Will was during Phyllis' annual Christmas party in her house. All the staff members' kids, including my firstborn, Rocco, as a toddler, were invited to huddle in the kitchen with the lights off to listen for the arrival of Father Christmas on the roof. After a scurry of footsteps, he appeared in the doorway, resplendent in his robes and lit by a tall, thin candle, leading a procession carrying the Yule log that would be lit in the fireplace. Pure merriment and mirth – the kind that only Will could conjure.
I kept in touch with Will through his daughter, my dear friend Shannon, over the years after his retirement. It had been over 20 years since we had last worked together at the Dickens Fair. I was so sad but glad to hear that his passing was peaceful, though it's hard to fathom him no longer here in mortal form. My deepest condolenses to Robin, Shannon, Jan, Will's grandchildren and extended family.
Will Wood was more than a performer – he was a keeper of wonder, a guardian of the belief that magic exists when we dare to step outside our everyday selves and into something larger. He understood that the Renaissance Faire was never really about the past; it was about creating moments of authentic human connection, of joy unguarded, of community bound not by time or geography but by imagination.
In a world that often feels fractured and hurried, Will reminded us that there is profound power in slowing down, in crafting something beautiful in our imagination, in looking a child in the eye and making them believe in time travel and possibility. His legacy lives not just in the thousands who remember Sir Francis Drake's commanding presence or Father Christmas's gentle wonder, but in everyone who learned from his example that the most radical act is to bring joy to others.
I have no doubt that somewhere beyond the veil, Will is already holding court in the great Shire of the Sky, his Hawaiian shirt traded once more for doublet and hose, greeting old friends and new arrivals alike with that familiar, warm "Well met, good gentles!" The faire, as they say, never truly ends – it simply moves to a grander stage. And Will Wood, master of transformation, has made his greatest entrance yet.
