A Brief History of the Thieves Guilde

In 1988 Ted Lewis started The Hoggetowne Players, a volunteer action troupe, for the Second Hoggetowne Medieval Faire. Consisting of no more than a handful of performers, the group worked to produce quality shows for the faire audiences in Gainesville, FL. Later, Ted left the Hoggetowne Players to pursue other endeavors, including an association with the Gainesville Community Playhouse. With the Gainesville Community Playhouse acting as a sponsor to help with the financial burden, Ted created the Thieves Guilde, an independent act contracted to perform at the Seventh Annual Hoggetowne Medieval Faire in 1993.

After Ted's departure, Shawn Bauldree began to work with the remaining members of the Hoggetowne Players to continue their productions. In 1993 Shawn secured a contract with the city of Gainesville to perform the first living chessboard as a part of that year's Hoggetowne Medieval Faire.

Shortly after the Seventh Annual Hoggetowne Medieval Faire, the Hoggetowne Players and the Thieves Guilde joined together to become a single group. At this time they were the only group in North Central Florida to doing live-action stuntwork. The Gainesville Community Playhouse continued to support the Thieves Guilde for many years.

In 2006 the Thieves Guilde filed to become an independent, not-for-profit organization.