At Atlantia’s Kingdom Arts and Sciences Festival, March 5-6, 2021, a virtual performance of the Greek play “Antigone” will be released! If you would like to participate in this production, please read the invitation from the Director, Lord Owyn Wolfe / Cody Clark, below.

This Friday, January 15th, at 7:00 PM, please join us on Google Meet for an information meeting/interest call regarding an upcoming fully virtual production of the Greek classic play Antigone! The production will be directed and produced by Cody Clark (SCA: Lord Owyn Wolfe). The artistic ethos of the project is to create a piece of art that is both fully truthful to the spirit of the Greek text that we are working with and is also fully truthful to the time we are living in today. The inspiration is to embrace all parts of the logistical, technological, and practical realities of the world we live in today and the challenges that come with it. To that end, webcams and cellphone cameras will be used not just as cameras but instead used as the perspective that the action of the production is shown from. All actors and production crew will remain apart from each other at all times. This production will be a collaborative project with an emphasis on the elements of devised theatre. 

Auditions will begin immediately following the interest call starting at 8:00 PM and there will be time slots available until Monday evening. Please see the links below for the interest call or to fill out an audition form! 

This production will premier as a part of the virtual event Kingdom Arts and Sciences hosted by the Society for Creative Anachronism’s Kingdom of Atlantia on March 5th and 6th! 

Audition Form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeJ4KGCovXiaBQ_zutQNcIlNnF7p6zF-qA-r6ei6ZUU6JD5mQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Interest Call: 

https://fb.me/e/1sOF6c24D

For further information please reach out to Cody Clark via Coclark18 AT gmail DOT com 

Lady Meriorie Matheson is offering a 4-part workshop in Ancient Theater!

A self-professed “Ancient Theater Nerd”, Meriorie is holding this 4-part series digital workshop on ancient theater – classical Greek and prior. This includes Egyptian and early Middle Eastern performance.

This is a rare treat!

• Part 1 – She teaches an overview class in Ancient Theater, discusses options for plays to produce, and assigns parts.
• Part 2 – Deep dive into analyzing the text of the play chosen in Part 1.
• Part 3 – Rehearse the play!
• Part 4 – Perform the play! Live streamed via Zoom-Facebook and recorded.

Organization is currently happening via Facebook Messenger chat in a group. If you would like to get involved, feel free to contact Meriorie via Meriorie.matheson AT gmail DOT com . She will add you to the Facebook Messenger list and/or keep you involved via email if you’re not a facebooker.

The 4 parts will feature:

Part 1. An overview on ancient theater, discussion/selection of a play and assignment of parts.

Sat. Sept. 12 1:00 PM  https://facebook.com/events/s/ancient-theater-workshop/927479164429523/?ti=as&__mref=mb

Part 2. A deep dive textual analysis of the play chosen in part 1

Sat. Sept. 19 at 1:00pm  https://facebook.com/events/s/ancient-theater-workshop-2/322297559208580/?ti=as&__mref=mb

Part 3. A rehearsal of the play

Sat Sept 26 at 11:00am https://facebook.com/events/s/ancient-theater-workshop-3/613561976025071/?ti=as&__mref=mb

Part 4. A performance of the play over zoom, live streamed for an audience on Facebook and recorded for posterity.

Sat. October 3, 1:00pm  https://facebook.com/events/s/ancient-theater-workshop-4/893932064346000/?ti=as&__mref=mb

Performers have a great many opportunities to do their thing this summer!

Ruby Joust – Memorial Day Weekend – Master Richard Wyn, this year’s Kingdom Bard, is hosting a competition for bards!  He requests that each Barony send their Performing Arts or Bardic Champion or a representative for them to come compete. It is scheduled to take place on Sunday. Richard sez: “You will be expected to perform three pieces: a documented period piece ( prior to 1620) , a Historical piece (either SCA or Period), and a performance to inspire others.
YIS,
Master Richard Wyn OL”

Highland River Melees – June 1-3 – http://highland-foorde.atlantia.sca.org/hrmelees/ans.php  In the Barony of Highland Foorde, Baroness Lanea verch Kerrigan will host Bardics! Specifically, bardics in the style of Bardic Madness! See here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NLxHgppcTzW0g0Y-ZgD-6hs78DgdPPiIIiH3wT3sNgw/edit 

Storytelling and Bardic Workshop – June 9 – http://atlantia.sca.org/137-events/167-event-flyer?event_id=3d5d23f0   The Barony of Nottinghil Cuil hosts this interactive workshop for story tellers, poets, and others interested in the bardic arts. Whether you are already performing, or are interested in giving it a try, come and learn and exchange ideas.

Summer University – June 16 – https://university.atlantia.sca.org/  The Barony of Black Diamond hosts an amazing 99th session of the Atlantia University with a TON of great music, dance, theater, and other performing classes! When the catalog is released in a few days, check it out!

Novice and Unbelt Tourney – June 23 – http://atlantia.sca.org/137-events/167-event-flyer?event_id=e73f06c1 Barony of Storvik. There will be a special Performers’ Pavilion with shade and drinks for all! Hosted by Mistress Fevronia and Master Igor. <3

Return to Crecy – June 22-24 – http://www.returntocrecy.com/ Sir Axel said: “Sat night will again be the Fete de Rue. We are still looking for performers. So, if you are interested, please drop me a line so I can schedule your stage time we are looking at 10-15 minutes sets. (music, song, poetry, story telling, juggling, etc.)”

Performers’ Revel South – June 30 – http://windmastershill.org/calendar/events/performers-revel-south/  The Canton of Elvegast again brings you a day full of JUST PERFORMING! A mildly structured day of relaxing, some workshops, and lot of playing!

King’s Assessments – July 6-8 – http://www.black-diamond.atlantia.sca.org/assessments/   Something fun always happens in the realms of bardic and dance in Black Diamond!

And that brings us to Pennsic!  If you need any help finding your way around Pennsic as a Performer, you can always ask this year’s new Dean of Performing Arts, Lady Scholastica Joycours!

Have fun performing this summer!!

Atlantia’s Twelfth Night event is again overflowing with amazing opportunities to enjoy the Performing Arts!

The Magnificent Lady Jeane Kilmeny has organized an embarrassment of riches for both performers looking to perform and audience looking to relax and be entertained.  If you have questions, please contact Lady Kilmeny via facebook by posting on the Atlantia Bards and Performers group at this link:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/BardsandPerformers/  If you wish to post a comment on this blog post, your question will be forwarded to Kilmeny.

The reveling begins this Friday night!

• Friday night bardic circle: starting 8:00pm in the Hunt Room

• Saturday Wandering Minstrels schedule/sign up sheet here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1a6nQC-aYbVhdnvZyIozoMlHHfU3I15kZO00jLTzZWFo/edit?usp=sharing

• Shakespeare Performance of selected scenes from Twelfth Night by i Firenzi: 11:30-12:30
• Commedia Performance of “The Mystery of the Doge’s Swan” by i Firenzi at 4:15pm

• Dance Band Rehearsal:

• Dance Classes:

1. Gathering Peascods
2. Gracca Amoroso
3. New Yer
4. Rawty
5. Grene Gynger

• Royal Bard Competition: 

• Dancing, Main Hall, after Feast (hopefully starting ~7:00pm)

• An evening bardic circle will be held on Saturday night in the Amphitheatre, hosted by Mistress Dervila, starting at 8:00pm

The Performing Arts community achieved new heights at this year’s Twelfth Night event in the Barony of Sacred Stone! Peruse the pictures below and watch out for these gentles in the coming months if you want to come join in the fun!
1) European Dance! Sacred Stone’s own Lady Elizabeth of Northumberland led the dancing with excellent teamwork and support from Lady Nicolosa d’ Isenfir, our Royal Player in Dance. These two ladies brought dance education and graceful leadership to the event such that over 50 people got to enjoy the noble art of dance at the evening ball.

2) The dancing was supported by skillful and joyful efforts of Mistress Azza and the pick-up dance band under her direction! Ten instrumentalists followed Azza’s fearless direction and organization to produce high energy, live dance music deep into the night. Mistress Azza also serves as a Royal Player and will be producing live pickup bands at more events in the future. Watch for her at Ymir!

3) Our Royal Player in Theater, Lady Meriorie Matheson, produced an enlightening competition for actors to present their favorite Shakespeare pieces! Nine actors presented a wide variety of scenes from The Bard. The winner of the competition was a pair of amazing actors, Lady Machteld Cleine and an SCA newcomer, Cody, portraying Benedict and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing. See the video clip of their scene here:  https://www.facebook.com/Lara.Coutinho.Orange/videos/1877274525623126/?l=6072083277919904046

It’s one of the most excellent pieces of theater I’ve seen at an SCA event in years! These still pics are of some of the other excellent monologues.

4) One of Sacred Stone’s multi-talented performers, Lord Akiyama Kazuhiko, took on the great challenge of producing the Twelfth Night Murder Mystery play… and it was a hoot! The cast was talented and engaging as they kept us laughing and guessing at the causes of sudden death all day.

5) The Royal Bard competition proceeded per tradition at Twelfth Night with a long list of talented participants. Royal Bards for 2016, Lord Gideon ap Stephan and Master Ruaidhri an Cu, presented three brilliant performers to Their Majesties for the final competition during feast that night. Despite the most extremely challenging conditions of noise and interruptions in the feast hall, all three competitors, Lord Hakon Erfikvaethiskald, Harper an Cu, and Lord Richard Wyn, proved worthy of the position. The young lady Harper An Cu finished the evening with the title of Royal Bard!

6) The Rotunda, the circular area between the staircase and hall of art, hosted a non-stop stream of performers bringing music to the people throughout the day. Performers in the Rotunda included: Lord Johann von Solothurn, Cornelia Caeciliana, Baroness Margaret Cochrane, Baroness Morgan Wolfsinger, and the amazingly talented instrumental group Lillies Among Thorns!

7) The lunchtime tavern also brought some musical thrills when “Painted Wheel” band took the stage and kept the lunch patrons entertained!

8) Laughter brought the event to new heights with i Firenzi’s performance of Italian, 16th Century, improvised comic Commedia dell’ Arte in the afternoon’s play “Arlecchino of La Mancha!” The premier of this play included many new commedia actors enjoying their first performance. We were blessed by the presence and service of a silent herald who interpreted the whole improvised show into sign language! A special moment was also brought to us when the final scene was interrupted (with permission of the director) by Their Excellencies of Windmasters’ Hill bringing an award to one of our actors in the name of TRMs. Lord Jaume de Monco was honored with an Award of the Coral Branch for his many artistic talents including acting, stage magic, bardic performance, and brewing. See the video of the whole play and Jaume’s honoring here:  https://youtu.be/MKedlRJ-VwQ

Twelfth Night again brought too much fun to cram into one day! Many thanks to the event’s Autocrat, Baroness Caitlin Macdonoughue for her tireless efforts at organizing and providing event space for the Performing Arts Community to enjoy their arts!

Performing Arts Schedule for Twelfth Night is here!

The holiday season brings a joyous occasion for our kingdom to gather in friendship and celebration of our many blessings! Many of us will enjoy the kingdom’s Twelfth Night event on January 14th, 2017 in Greensboro, NC: http://www.twelfthnight.atlantia.sca.org/

Performers and those who enjoy being an audience will revel in an embarrassment of riches at Twelfth Night! See the schedule of Performing Arts Activities below, and don’t hesitate to contact the Performing Arts Coordinator, Lady Sophia the Orange via orangesophie AT gmail DOT com for more information.

War of the Wings is a huge event, and with that comes more opportunities for Performing Arts! And there are so many opportunities to get confused… so let me sum up…

Thursday:

Dance Band Practice 2:00 – 4:00pm in the Castle: If you told the dance band leader, Mistress Azza, that you’re coming, great! If you didn’t, show up anyway, and look here for the sheet music (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kq9aaWUo-i7S3LOrfn7qFCsVPn1rapWMh1iJOyEMHIk/edit?usp=sharing Most of it is from the Pennsic Pile #45 but some is from Eric Praetzel’s Dance Music Database). Print out and bring your own copies if you can, but show up even if you can’t bc Azza has some extra copies!

Friday:

European Dance classes throughout the day – check the site book for details!

Improvisation Skills Class 12:00 – 1:00pm: Improv theater games/training to help anyone live in persona or have better conversations at SCA events.

Bard of the People Competition 1:00 – 3:00pm: Any material welcome. Peoples’ choice for the winner!

Dance Band Practice 2:00 – 4:00pm in the Castle: same as Thursday.

Bardic Madness by the Sea 3:00 – 4:00pm: Bardic Challenges for everyone! You will most likely create the material you perform within this hour of bardic fun!

Who’s Line Doth It Be Anyway SHOW! 4:00 – 5:00pm: Anyone with the daring to do improv games is welcome to perform them, and anyone who wants to watch should come be the audience! Laughs guaranteed!

Childrens’ Ball for European Dance 7:00 – 9:00pm: Dancing focused on kids in the Castle!

Pirate Ball for European Dance 9:00-11:00pm: European dancing with a piratical theme and live dance band in the Castle!

Bardic Smackdown Competition 9:00pm start in the marketplace: This is the war-point competition for bards, and Their Excellencies have asked 8 bards to compete in tourney fashion with the Kingdom MOL keeping order.

Commedia dell’ Arte show by i Firenzi for ADULTS ONLY! We break out some period-but-not-family –friendly material for this annual “Naughty Show” which really starts at 10:00pm in Vingolf Hall regardless of what’s printed in the event book or on the web page. If you are under 18 years of age and want to see the show, bring your parent and have a deeply honest talk with the i Firenzi director, Sophia the Orange, about the adult content in the show. After complete and mature consideration, it’s your parent’s choice to let you watch or not. NO PHOTOGRAPHY OR VIDEOGRAPHY IS ALLOWED!

Saturday:

Intro to Commedia dell’ Arte class 11:00 – 12:00noon: Commedia dell’ Arte basics intended to prepare you for participation in Iron Commedia.

Iron Commedia Rehearsal 12:00 – 3:00pm:  Pull together a commedia scenario and perform it in the hour before court! Anyone is welcome to join the cast regardless of experience level, but you must commit to staying in rehearsal the entire time from 12:00 – 3:00 then the show goes on at 3:15pm!

Iron Commedia SHOW 3:15pm: Iron Commedia cast members put on the show they just invented in the hour before court!  Bring your chairs and set up for court early and be entertained with period comedy!

Musical Instrument Petting Zoo with Lord Gawain de Barri 2:00 – 4:00pm in the Castle!

There’s also a Music Solar in Tent #5 every day from 9:00 – 4:00pm!

The Raven’s Cove camp is sponsoring a Middle Eastern dancing Hofla starting at 8:00pm!

THE BIG CLIMAX of the event is the Spectacular Performance Expo starting at 8:00pm in Vingolf Hall! If you want to perform and have not yet signed up with Master Efenwealt, just show up or find him at his merchant booth – Camelot Treasures – and ask for a time slot!  ELEVEN of the kingdom’s best performers have already signed up to entertain you and bring you the best celebration ending ever!

Check out the War of the Wings web page Performing Arts section here: http://warofthewings.com/performing_arts.html

and the whole schedule here: http://warofthewings.com/schedule.html

But by all means… CHECK AT TROLL FOR CHANGES TO THE SCHEDULE!!!

And bring your comfy chair so you can sit back and be entertained by the most fun opportunities for Performing Arts you’ve ever seen in Atlantia!

The Atlantia Kingdom Art and Sciences Festival 2016 hosted an amazing extravaganza for Performing Arts!  No less than 26 performers showed the populace of Atlantia a Demo Hour of the many ways Performing Arts shows up in the SCA, and the hour before that was filled with impressive performances from groups and soloists!

This link takes you to the video recording of the Demo Hour of Performing Arts: https://youtu.be/8NYrd9kS7Ww
This link takes you to the video recording of the open sign-ups hour we had for all performers right before the Demo Hour: https://youtu.be/6ifUTJwEEFI

More recordings of the Commedia dell’ Arte mini-class/demo and the period scenario presented by i Firenzi are coming soon!
Many thanks to Lord Manus MacDhai for processing these videos and making them available to us all!

Thanks also to Mistress Ceridwen ferch Owain for helping us organize this extravaganza at KASF!

–Lady Sophia the Orange, Kingdom MOAS Deputy for Performing Arts

Here are all the Performing Arts activities in chronological order. Some locations DID change since we lost use of Vingulf Hall, so please watch for announcements, signs, and disturbances in the force to inform you of location changes once you get to site! Friday night Vingulf Hall activities moved to the Picnic Shelter “Madrassa” and Saturday night Vingulf Hall activities moved to the Bardic Center tent. See notes in red below.

FOR ALL PERFORMANCES AND CLASSES – BRING YOUR OWN CHAIR!!!

Bardic Madness Challenges have been posted!  Lady Scholastica challenges the bards and performers of Atlantia to the following Fyts of Madness:

• A Tale a Tale, My Kingdom for a Tale (Pass the Tale)
  • All those who wish to participate get up together and tell a tale from beginning to end. The challenge’s patron will ‘conduct’ by pointing to the person whose turn it is to continue the tale, and deciding when it is time to end the tale.
• Descriptionary
  • Sometimes words have hidden meanings and it will be up to our team to define their given word, one word at a time to the audience until the word is completely defined.
• Wisdom is Often Fleeting
  • Aesop a mere slave, is credited for presenting teaching stories with a touch of wisdom so for this challenge you would be wise to come with a prepared Aesop story to tell. Stories should be five minutes or less.
• Shakespeare on the Fly
  • No preparation, for you will be handed a piece by Shakespeare and must stand and perform on the fly after 60 seconds. Sing it, dramatize it …own it.

Rules of the Challenge:

1. This is a challenge and not a competition. If you are playing then you have already won.
2. Challenges are designed to encourage you to try your hand at something new, to stretch yourself, to enjoy, and to celebrate the creative spirit.
3. Follow as closely as you can to the instructions as possible.
4. In order to allow the largest number of people to participate, prepared entries should be limited to five minutes or less (that includes the introduction).

If you are a Baronial Champion for your Barony in the Performing Arts, and if you wish to compete in Saturday night’s Inter-baronial Bardic Champions Competition, please be sure to sign up with the MC, Lady Sophia the Orange NO LATER THAN 12:00noon on Saturday!  Please send email ahead of time to  dmoas-performance AT atlantia.sca.org OR leave an UNMISTAKABLE message at Windmasters Hill Camp.

DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK QUESTIONS!  Numerous folks are well versed in this whole program and ready to answer your questions! Please contact any or all of the following people to ask questions or advice on the best way to get the best bang for your buck per minute of fun at War of the Wings!

Lady Sophia the Orange, Whole Program and Commedia: dmoas-performance AT atlantia.sca.org

Lord Johann von Solothurn, Bardic Classes and Competitions: RoyalBard AT atlantia.sca.org

Vrouwe Machteld Cleine, Rabble Rousing: faerieeva AT hotmail.com

Lady Scholastica Joycors, Bardic Madness: totallystories AT gmail DOT com

Reynsa Kyferin, European dance band: meganfair.clarinet AT gmail DOT com

Lady Elizabeth de Northumberland, European Dance: mills_se AT yahoo.com

Mistress Azza: Middle Eastern Dance Hofla and Dance Band

Baroness Alianor of Sacred Stone, Bardic Smackdown War Point Competition:  https://sites.google.com/site/sscoronets/contact

The rule of the day at this event is to be as flexible, forgiving, and polite as possible to your fellow SCA volunteers. This event has had some rocky changes to juggle at the last minute, so please keep lines of communication open as we juggle and squeeze as much fun into these few days as possible!

Thanks for playing!

Lady Sophia the Orange

War of the Wings, Deputy Village Steward for Performing Arts

Kingdom of Atlantia, Minister of Arts and Sciences, Deputy for Performing Arts

Capocomico, i Firenzi

Fan of Anything That Comes To Life On Stage!

Vingulf Hall is Adults Only after 8:00pm on Friday Night!

Research has shown that some material from the sixteenth century and earlier is not appropriate for modern day children and teenagers. Specifically, the material in the research is not appropriate. Many woodcuts, paintings, and sketches of commedia dell’ arte from SCA period depict scenes that would be rated R or worse in modern movies. This does not mean that as adults we should not attempt to recreate this part of history.  Most of it is perfectly harmless with an adult’s perspective (enema syringes, uncovered body parts, bodily fluids, etc.).  It does mean that we need to create a safe space with walls and clear boundaries and communicate clearly regarding when and where we will engage in art forms that are not completely 100% guaranteed family friendly so those who wish to not engage can be not bothered.

War of the Wings is an event with enough space that some has been set aside, with clear boundaries, for an adults only area.  Here we can allow for some of the material from commedia dell’ arte that is not appropriate for children to be brought out from the books and used in real life plays.  I Firenzi has brought such a play to War of the Wings for the second year and will perform it in Vingulf Hall at 10:00pm on Friday night.  Bouncers will be stationed at the doors to Vingulf Hall for everyone’s sanity.  If you or a companion of yours is under 18 years of age, you are not allowed in Vingulf Hall after 8:00pm.  If you wish to break this rule, you must ask for special permission from Lady Sophia the Orange so that you and your adult guardian can make an informed decision based on full disclosure of the adult content expected to be presented in the play. Last year, two exceptions were made after careful conversations with parents, and the teenagers were not scarred. They both lived on to perform commedia themselves. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions ahead of time or get clarification from Sophia by emailing “capo AT ifirenzi DOT com”  or you can also use dmoas-performance AT atlantia.sca.org.

Commedia dell Arte by i Firenzi is improvised, so some risk is implied. No guarantee is made regarding exactly what will happen, what the audience will see, or what will be exposed during the play. All attendees enjoy the play at their own risk.

Photography, videography, and recording of any kind at all will not be allowed under any circumstances.

This year, i Firenzi is not the only performance for adults only in Vingulf Hall!  Remember, Vingulf Hall turns into an Adults Only zone after 8:00pm on Friday night, which is when the Bawdy Bardic by Ky begins!  As with all performances at War of the Wings… BRING YOUR OWN CHAIR!!!!

Friday night at War of the Wings… here is your lineup in Vingulf Hall!

I.

Bawdy Bardic by Ky 8:00 ~ 9:15pm

A beautiful, creative, and vivacious young lady named Ky will sing some of her own bawdy songs and lead a bardic circle in Vingulf Hall for those adults 18 years old and older who want to sing with her!

And if that weren’t enough… the ancient tradition of taunts and insults lives on!

II.

Rabble Rousing skits by Opposing Sides of the War starts around 9:15 ~ 9:30 ish…

The opposing sides of the War of the Wings will have the opportunity to engage in millennia old tradition of taunting and insulting the other side.  Each side will have no more than 15 minutes to crush the souls of the other side taking turns politely.

Then… what you’ve been waiting for since Pantalone stripped to his skivvies last year!

III.

Commedia dell’ arte performance of “The Issues of One’s Loins” by i Firenzi

The infamous annual “Naughty Show” of i Firenzi appears again at War of the Wings as a rare demonstration of some very real and documentable material of period commedia dell’ arte that is not family friendly nor appropriate for children at a regular SCA event. I Firenzi is grateful for this opportunity to stretch their creative muscles and perform some of their art form that is not safe for regular SCA events but appears regularly in commedia documentation.  Beautiful women will parade around Vingulf Hall with this documentation for anyone interested in the educational portion of our program. The family friendly version of commedia dell arte will be presented on Saturday in the Iron Commedia production before royal court.

The scenario, “The Issues of One’s Loins”, was written by Luceta di Cosimo, currently living in Pittsburgh, PA and regularly writing scenarios for i Genisii (often seen performing at Pennsic) in the style of Flamino Scala of Florence in the late 16th century.

Photography, videography, and recording of any kind at all will not be allowed under any circumstances.

For more information about commedia or i Firenzi, visit www.ifirenzi.com  and watch the videos!

Visit http://warofthewings.com/performing_arts.html  for all your War of the Wings Performing Arts info!

And if you’re looking for something lower key or guaranteed to be Family Friendly… there’s a lovely Castle next door to Vingulf Hall with European Dancing and a live Pick Up Band!  http://warofthewings.com/details/dancing.html  The music and dancing starts at 7:00 with the first half hour focused on kids.

Sincerely Yours,

Lady Sophia the Orange

War of the Wings, Deputy Village Steward for Performing Arts

Kingdom of Atlantia, Minister of Arts and Sciences, Deputy for Performing Arts

Capocomico, i Firenzi

Fan of Anything That Comes To Life On Stage!