THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 20, Number 49 Thursday, December 16, 2004 Gladsome Sounds of Madrigal Reverberate in Chesterton by Paula McHugh Forty lords and ladies in Christmas finery compose a portion of the 100-member cast of Chesterton High School’s madrigal dinner. Some of the most delectable sights, sounds, and scents of the season materialize yearly in the “Greate Hall” at Chesterton High School’s Madrigal Dinner.. The cast of more than 100 music students can change from year to year. The banquet fare can change, too. What has not changed in more than three decades is the can- dlelit, opulent brocade and velvet polyphonic pageant that heralds the beginning of the holidays for Chestertonians and others who look forward to the colorful event. The CHS Madrigal Dinner is one of the hottest tickets in town during the Christmas season. “It’s nice that traditions like this continue,” CHS madrigal director Linda Pauli said. Linda allowed The Beacher free reign to capture impressions of the pageant during the madrigal’s final dress rehearsal. Members of the high school’s show choirs, the Sandpipers and Drifters, bedecked in Madrigal director Linda Pauli adjusts Stephen Pappas’ hat. Elizabethan finery, glided around the yet-to-be-trans- Stephen portrayed the Lord of the House. formed cafeteria as honored Lords and Ladies of the Greg Howard and Garry Seljan stood off in a corner grand feast. Serfs and hand bell choir servers dressed of the cavernous cafeteria, watching. The job of in humbler attire straddled the sidelines, waiting installing two dozen floor-to-ceiling columns, maroon for rehearsal to begin. Herald trumpeters Brian festoons and drapery, and a stained-glass paneled Chubb and Jacob Hughes waited for their cue mark- entrance tunnel to the Greate Hall would be accom- ing rehearsal’s beginning. Choir “dadz” Bruce Glasser, Madrigal Continued on Page 2 THE Page 2 December 16, 2004 THE 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.bbpnet.com/ PRINTED WITH Published and Printed by TM Trademark of American Soybean Association THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden 911 Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also Subscription Rates delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. 1 year $28 6 months $16 3 months $10 1 month $5 Jokers and jesters await their turn to perform. Front row: Lori Uskert Herald trumpeters Brian Chubb and Jacob Hughes waited for their cue and Sarah Eveland. Back row from left: Brian Katzmarek, marking rehearsal’s beginning. Alyssa Villaruel, and Jessica Hernandez. Madrigal Continued from Page 1 plished the following day, several hours before the first ers of the Yule log, the wassail, figgy pudding, and the public performance. For rehearsal, the bare-bones set boar’s head, kept a close eye on their props. The was comprised only of tiered plank tables with boar’s head, by the way, is the real deal, according to tankards, and candelabras running the length of the Linda Pauli. “Hall.” String musicians, including a harpsichord “We had seven (boar’s heads) volunteered when we player, added to the richness of the musical pageant. put out a request for one,” Linda said, adding that she Recorder players Colin Hammer, Rebekah Vallangeon, was surprised with the response. They are taxider- Katie Downey, and Taylor Ricks stood by, awaiting their mied, of course, and their prized prop is affectionately turn. Christi Kennedy and Elizabeth Beckley, bear- dubbed “Boris Boar,” she said. Doing double duty, servers perform as the handbell choir. A harpsichord player adds to the historical detail of the night. THE December 16, 2004 Page 3 Open ‘til 7 p.m. Evenings www.littlehousefashions.comElegant Apparel for the [email protected] Conscious Woman Women’s Apparel STOREWIDE String musicians add to the richness of the musical entertainment. SALE Up to 40% Off Recorder (and oboe) players Taylor Ricks, Rebekah Vallangeon, Katie Downey, and Colin Hammer. Christi Kennedy and Elizabeth Beckley, bearers of the Yule log, the wassail, figgy pudding, and the boar’s head. Meet Us For Lunch And A Style Show Linda Pauli, CHS musical director for the TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21 - TIPPECANOE PLACE, SOUTH BEND 32nd annual Madrigal, holds “Boris Boar,” one Custom Monogramming Available of the silent stars of 409409 Alexander StreetStreet, LaPorte, IN 326-8602 the performance. On Hwy 35 - 5 Blocks South of Lincolnway TurnTurn Rightright on AlexanderAlexander Madrigal Monday-FridayMonday - Friday10 am 9:30to 6 pmto 7 Saturday Saturday 9:30 9:30 am to to5 5 pm Continued on Page 4 THE Page 4 December 16, 2004 Madrigal Continued from Page 3 Attention to details, like the tunnel entrance to the manor house (cafeteria), gives the honored guests (audience) a feeling of time traveling back to late 16th century England. Choir dad Bruce Glasser escorted us over to the school’s theatre stage to see For the first time last year, the props and set decorations. Each of the pieces members of the show choir had been lined up in an orderly way, ready for strong designed a 12-foot “stained glass” window for the tunnel shoulders to carry them to the cafeteria for set up the entrance. The backlit window following day. Except for the center of the cafeteria- added a perfect ambience for turned-Greate Hall, the remainder of the cavernous the madrigal guests and gave the performers an additional cafeteria space would be blacked out. The bustle artful project to leave behind from the kitchen on the north side of the huge room as a legacy for future shows. would be muffled by the reinforced columns and Last year’s window featured an angel appearing above a heavy drapery. The south side of the room, where tow- tiny manger. ers of windows normally fill the room with natural light, would likewise be disguised from view. Tables for over 200 reveling guests would be arranged so that all could view the grand entrance of the pageant’s par- ticipants. Bruce, whose own children graduated from CHS two years ago, said that the crew of volunteer parents, includ- ing Greg Howard and Garry Seljan, start preparing for the madrigal performance after Halloween. They work between two to three nights per week up to per- formance time, and then they begin helping anew with the next show choir project. Unlike the smaller “space” that was the former high school, the state-of-the- art, 4-year old new building is massive. This year’s show artists chose a medieval jousting theme for their stained glass window. Bruce Glasser (right) said that the crew of volunteer “choir dadz”, includ- ing Greg Howard and Garry Seljan, start preparing for the madrigal per- formers an additional artful project to leave behind formance after Halloween by working two to three nights per week. as a legacy for future shows. Last year’s window fea- “It’s a whole new challenge at the new high school,” tured an angel appearing above a tiny manger. This Bruce said. “It took a lot of people’s “imagineering” (to year’s show artists chose a medieval jousting theme. set up a new Great Hall).” Bruce and the other set con- Back in the cafeteria, Linda Pauli appeared calm struction crew volunteers recycle and rebuild old and in control among the bustle of costumed per- props as much as they can. The 12-foot columns that formers. Introducing us to Stephen Pappas per- flank the performance space started out as props for forming as Lord of the Manor House, Linda took the the Trojan Guard’s field shows, according to Bruce. opportunity to tweak the placement of Stephen’s gold And the men had to add yards more drapery fabric and orange brocade hat. Stephen would be giving for festoons. The trick was getting the burgundy the opening and closing speeches, as well as direct- color to match as closely as possible. The tunnel ing the choirs—the most demanding, he said, would entrance consists of 15 sets of frames draped with addi- be making sure the choirs stationed at different parts tional fabric. of the Hall sang in unison to the challenging “Jubilate For the first time last year, members of the show Domino.” choir designed a 12-foot “stained glass” window for the “The students practice separately in their music class- tunnel entrance. The backlit window added a perfect es, and then come together (to perform in unison) for ambience for the madrigal guests and gave the per- the madrigal,” Linda explained. THE December 16, 2004 Page 5 Additional key roles in this year’s madri- gal dinner were performed by Emma Helminski as Lady of the House, Andrew Banks as Steward, Austin Heredia as the Monk, and Heather Wade as Saint Lucia. Former CHS music instructor Al Castronovo, along with Bob Stone, are credited with writing the script and intro- ducing the first madrigal dinner to the community in 1972. The origins of madri- gal dinner/performances began at least in the early 1960’s, and possibly by Indiana University’s School of Music performances in the ready-made Tudor environment of the Indiana Memorial Union. Closer to home, Valparaiso University has discontinued offering a madrigal dinner after numer- ous seasons. Linda Pauli said that the only other area madrigal dinner that she was As Lord of the House, Stephen Pappas Emma Helminski portrayed the aware of is presented at Wheeler High would be giving the opening and closing Lady of the House.