After 50 years of intricate costumes, witty dialogue, and spectacular musical performances, a BSU tradition will come to an end this year. The Madrigal Dinners will host their final feast on December 8^th.

“As we move forward as a department, this is the last annual madrigal dinner that we will be doing. We’ll still keep it in a tradition as we move forward, but it will give us some opportunities to think more broadly as a department with cross departmental performances,” says Dwight Jilek, the director of choral activities at BSU.

The Madrigal Dinners are known for their extravagance. This year, there are more than 40 students involved, not to mention musicians and BSU professors. The five-course meal included will be provided by Concordia Language Villages. Concordia also serves as the venue for the production.

Lindsay Marketon, the madrigal manager and queen of this year’s feast says, “As madrigal manager, we started even before the school year started so back in August, I suppose, sending emails and getting everything ready – all the decorations and the location.”

The Madrigal Dinners have been making audiences laugh for the past 50 years. This year, they’re taking it all the way back to 1968 with their original script.

“We’ve contemporized a couple of items but we didn’t distort it. We just changed it up and added to it,” says Frederick Rodgers, the artistic director and designer for the show.

As we move into the final shows, the cast and crew promises audiences will see the same timeless magic that has made the Madrigal Dinners a must-see show.

Jilek says, “It’s, of course, full of the many things that people in our community and region have come to love in the Madrigal Dinners. You have the jester, you have wonderful beautiful poetic clothes, you have the royal court, and of course you have puns.”

Tickets for the Madrigal Dinners can still be purchased at the BSU box office or online here.

By — Shirelle Moore