Thursday was Media Day at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. I’m not exactly sure what media it is the day for, but as a featured singing group of the Festival, Madrigalia Bar Nonne sends a group out to Media Day each year, to give people the flavor of the fair. This year, as usual, we sent a set of seasoned singers, along with our new singers. This gives the new singers a chance to tour the grounds and get a feel for what it is like to sing out-of-doors and a capella at the same time.
Of course the Media Day has been scheduled and planned for weeks. But what couldn’t be planned was the weather. We haven’t had much extreme heat this summer, but last night was the hottest night of the summer so far, with a heat advisory lasting until 8 p.m. tonight. A perfect night to dress up in Renaissance garb. It was interesting seeing the whole court there in full regalia, and our own group — women in hoop skirts, men in doublets and hose — all of us covered from wrist to neck to ankle. Sweat flowed profusely.
The guests seemed to enjoy the show despite the heat. We found various spots around the central area and sang short sets of songs, even getting a main stage right before our dinner break. Ofttimes we were on one side of the thoroughfare singing while the Gypsies danced and gyrated on a stage on the other side. Needless to say our metre and styles were not complementary. More people seemed to watch the gypsies than us, of course.
Unlike other years, they got the people through the entertainment, and the food lines, and the court dismissed everyone, before it got dark. I think that was planned, but with the heat, it also worked out better.
At The Rainbow 