Madrigal Feasts to support local causes

 Dr. Una Taylor, CSC assistant professor of music, said the a portion of the proceeds will go to the Closer to Home Soup Kitchen of Chadron and the Chadron Caring and Sharing Christmas, both which help people in need.

This marks the first time in many years for Chadron State to present a Madrigal Feast. The deadline to buy tickets for the event is Wednesday, Dec. 5.

Dr. Una Taylor, CSC assistant professor of music, expects the show to be a fun event for both the students and the audience.

Students of the CSC choirs and brass quintet will don Renaissance attire to present “The Truth Fairy.” The shows will be Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 8-9, at the Chicoine Atrium of the Sandoz Center. Those performances begin at 6:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. The students also will present the show at MJ’s Ranch House in Crawford on Friday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets, which are $32 per person, are available at the CSC box office for the Chadron performances. They also are being sold at TJ’s Photography and Scrapbooking in downtown Chadron. Seating for the Crawford performance may be obtained at the Ranch House until the time of the performance.

 “The Truth Fairy,” set in 1510, tells the humorous tale of a depressed king who lacks trust and is in search of an honestly truthful person to succeed the jester. To help his cause, he enlists the help of the Truth Fairy who can distinguish whether or not people are being honest.

About 40 students will be involved in the production. In addition to the Truth Fairy and jester, students will play the characters of the royal court, Mertonsire, Lancelot, Lancelittle and two pages. The performance also features some audience participation.

Taylor said the event will have a lot of laughs, quality a capella music, colorful costumes, and an outstanding meal prepared by CSC’s food services. The menu consists of stuffed pork loin or chicken quarter, roasted potato and bread pudding.

“There is singing throughout the feast, and then at the end we actually do a concert comprised of of holiday music,” she said.

Taylor hopes the feast is popular enough to become an annual event.