by Meredith Hooper
Have you heard of the Madrigal dinners? Some people including the chorus director, Bart Gilleland, call the 18-year-old tradition “an institute.”
Started by Mary Beth Shumate in 1997, the annual Madrigal dinners have been performed in December for almost two decades now. They are definitely a crowd pleaser, and resemble dinners of the Old English Boar’s Head Dinner, which is a feast that took place in England close to Christmas every year.
“An Old English Boar’s Head dinner includes singing, some comedy, there’s some dancing, and in addition to vocal music there’s also instrumental music.” said Gilleland.
Only the best actors and actresses were chosen to act in the Madrigals. Mr. Gilleland and Ms. Owen sat down in the auditorium and judged people on their delivery, compatibility with other candidates, and overall ability to determine who would play each part.
“Most of the participants are in fine arts, I mean, they are either in theater and or choir, so as a result that’s the pool we pulled from,” said Gilleland.
Your only opportunity to see it now will be on Tuesday, December 8 because the Monday night dinner is sold out. You can purchase tickets on Friday, December 4, but you are not guaranteed to get a ticket because they are selling fast. They are $18 for an adult and $14 for students and that covers food, drink, and the performance.
According to Mr. Gilleland, “People were calling two weeks before tickets went on sale wanting to know how to get tickets.”
Both of the performances will take place at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, located across from Ingles in Brevard.