• 10:00am
  • Dance class begins in the Grand Salon 2 (Performing Arts area upstairs middle section of Ballroom)

• 12:00noon
  • Royal Bard competition Round 1 begins downstairs in the el Salon de Baile (Ballroom-the end of the hall with head table) run by Master Ruaidhri an Cu and Lord Gideon ap Stephan, Royal Bards of 2016.

Royal Bard’s announcement text:

“My Lords and Ladies, Most Worthy Peers, and dearest cousins, Once more the time has come to select those who will serve as Royal Bards for Their Majesties and Their successors. At the celebration of Twelfth Night a competition will be held and Lord Gideon, the Bard of the South, and I encourage all bards to come and compete. The competition will be comprised of three rounds.

In the first and second round competitors should perform pieces in different modes. For example, if a story is performed in the first round, the bard should perform a song, instrumental piece, poem, or some-such for the second round. One of the pieces performed in the first two rounds must be period, documentation should be provided. Please limit pieces to five minutes. Extra consideration shall be given to bards who perform original compositions in addition to the period piece.Those bards who are selected for the final round shall perform for Their Majesties and the populace during feast. Pieces should be limited to eight minutes. Should you have any questions, concerning the competition, appropriate pieces, etc., please feel free to contact me.

Your servant, if you would have me,

Olaugh Ruaidhri an Cu (Bard of the North) Email: ruaidhriancu@gmail.com Phone: (301)570-9434 Facebook: Ruaidhri an Cu”

• 12:30am
  • Mini-Concerts in la Rotanda begin for All Performers who have signed up ahead of time here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yP5JiCAaCOroVI64Ye8QI-OQS6AOQM4HWftY2lEkCt0/edit?usp=sharing  SIGN UP AT THIS LINK! THIS IS WHERE YOU SIGN UP FOR PERFORMANCE SLOTS!

• 1:00pm
  • Act 2 of the Murder Mystery begins in the Grand Salon 2 (Performing Arts area upstairs middle section of Ballroom)

• 2:00pm
  • Shakespearean Recitation Competition begins in la Rotanda. This competition is brought to you by our Royal Player in Theater, Lady Meriorie Matheson. Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-I8MzWumXriZnp7mSwj9W0XNciqinEEWHKg2fR1ortA/edit?usp=sharing  SIGN UP AT THIS LINK! THIS IS WHERE YOU SIGN UP FOR PERFORMANCE SLOTS!
    • Description of Shakespeare Competition: Friends, Atlantians, countrymen, lend me your ears! As Twelfth night is a time of frolics and festivities, we must partake in one of the most beloved entertainments of the middle ages – theater. I challenge Atlantia to bring me your best performances of a monologue from any of Shakespeare’s contemporaries, or the Bard himself. A prize for the best performance! And as Tudor theater was memorized quickly for more performances, extra prizes for anyone who’s off-book! So everyone has a chance to participate, try to keep monologues around 5 minutes in length.
  • Dance Class #2 begins in the Grand Salon 2 (Performing Arts area upstairs middle section of Ballroom)
  • Dance Band Rehearsal begins downstairs in the el Salon de Baile (Ballroom-the end of the hall with head table) The Twelfth Night Dance Band is a pick up band brought together for one day under the fearless and skilled direction of our Royal Player in Music, Mistress Azza. Any instrumentalist is welcome to join in the band.

• 2:30pm
  • Act 3 of the Murder Mystery begins in the Tavern
•  3:00pm
  • Royal Bard competition Round 2 begins in Grand Salon 2 (Performing Arts area upstairs middle section of Ballroom)
  • At 3:00pm in the Throne Section of the Ballroom, there will be a “Garb Runway Challenge” hosted by the Clothiers Guild. The organizer of the event has asked for musicians to play some background music while the entrants proceed down the runway. Musicians can contact Lord Johann von Solothurn for more information. If you don’t know how to catch Johann, please direct questions to Sophia the Orange.

• 4:00pm
  • Commedia dell’arte performance by i Firenzi of “Arlecchino of La Mancha” in the Sala del trono (throne room). Set up your seats early before court to hear the true story of how Don Quixote really went mad back in La Mancha! If you don’t know what Commedia dell’ Arte is yet, start at the troupe’s web page: http://ifirenzi.com 

• 5:00pm
  • Their Atlantian Majesties’ Evening Court begins in the Sala del Trono (throne room)

• 8:00pm
  • The La Danza de Oro (the Dance of Gold) begins in the upstairs Grand Salon 3

Greetings!  I am Johann von Solothurn, currently serving as Royal Bard of fair Atlantia.  I wish you all a joyous and music-filled holiday season!  As I near the end of my tenure as Royal Bard, I will be attending Yule Toy Tourney and Twelfth Night, and hope to see many of you around bardic circles and entering the bardic competitions at those events.

 At Yule Toy Tourney, I will be hosting a bardic bear pit competition.  The cost of entry in the competition is one toy per entrant.  The toys collected at the event will be donated to Country Santa, a Program that collects toys for needy children across upstate South Carolina.  Bring your bardic weapons (songs, stories, poems) and prepare to have fun while you do battle with your fellow bards!  Bonus points will be awarded for period pieces and original compositions.  Time permitting, there will be three rounds of head to head bardic combat.  Don’t forget your bard book!  The bard with the most points (wins) will win the day – and the prize!

At Twelfth Night, a new Royal Bard will be chosen from among Atlantia’s many talented and skilled bards.  I hope many of you will choose to compete for the mantle of Royal Bard.

Their Royal Majesties are now accepting letters of intent from those who wish to enter the Royal Bard competition.  If you would accept the challenge and compete for the title of Royal Bard, please send your letter of intent to me at  RoyalBard@atlantia.sca.org  by December 18.

Per the Atlantian Great Book of Laws, the Royal Bard is chosen for excellence in the individual performance of any of the following fields:  singing, instrumental music, poetic rendition, or storytelling.  The Royal Bard is encouraged to be proficient in at least two of these fields.

Kingdom Royal Notables are expected to encourage the disciplines for which they are selected.  Suggested goals and duties for the Royal Bard include:  1) services to the Crown as Their bard, 2) sponsoring at least two bardic competitions during their tenure, including the Royal Bard competition to select a successor, 3) work with Branch Officers to encourage the growth of the bardic arts, 4) teaching in such venues as are available and reasonable.  The tenure of the Royal Bard is one year.

The Royal Bard competition will consist of a minimum of two rounds.  For the first round, bring a period piece (song, story, instrumental, or poem) with documentation.  For the second round, bring an original composition (SCA-themed or Period-themed) with documentation.  At Her Majesty’s whim, a third round may be required, and will be announced during the competition.

It has been an honor to serve the Kingdom as Royal Bard for the past year.  The position of Royal Bard has been a more gratifying role than I ever imagined it could be.  I cherish the new friends and memories made while promoting the bardic arts across Atlantia, and I look forward to seeing what our new Royal Bard will bring to the position.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions you  have concerning the position of Royal Bard.  I look forward to hearing my fellow bards compete at Twelfth Night!

Yours in Song and Service,

Lord Johann von Solothurn

Royal Bard of Atlantia