[Bards] Kingdom Eisteddfod reminder and details

[Catrin ferch Maelgwn]

Good evening, Ansteorra!

The Kingdom Eisteddfod to determine Ansteorra's next Premier Bard will
be held this coming Saturday, December 5th, at Stargate Yule.  Event
information is available here:
http://stargate.ansteorra.org/yule09.shtml

- Sign-ups will open immediately following morning court, and the
competition will begin 30 minutes thereafter.  There will be a total
of three rounds; I hope to allow all competitors to perform in the
first two rounds, although if we have a large number of participants
some may need to be eliminated after the first round.  The third round
will consist of a few finalists.  There will be a 15 minute break
between each round; please return promptly so we can keep things
rolling.

- Please be aware that, in order to win, at least *one* of your pieces
must be a period or period-style piece accompanied by documentation.
In which round you choose to fulfill this requirement is up to you,
but please have your documentation ready and let me know at the time
of your performance.  Please provide three (3) hard copies of your
documentation for the judges' perusal.  Your documentation should
include this basic information - WHAT it is you're performing, WHEN
and WHERE in period the piece (or style) occurred, a little about HOW
it came about, and whether there are any major DIFFERENCES or
non-period elements in your own performance/composition.  You may
include a short bibliography if you wish.

Please do not let the presence of this requirement discourage or scare
you away from competing.  I want to see that you are able to perform
work that is documentable to our period of study, and that you have
some knowledge of what you're performing--but I am not expecting a
research paper.  You are required to show that one of your pieces is
period; however, you will be judged on your performance of your chosen
material, not on your documentation.

Below you will find the criteria for each round of the competition.

* A special note to any performers who have chosen scenario #5 (a
piece to entertain children) for round 1: the Stargate Minister of
Children has kindly offered to provide you with an audience. :)
Please let me know when you sign up if you have chosen this scenario,
as we will be grouping all these performances together when the
children are there to listen.  They will be provided with small tokens
to bestow on their favorite performer, so give them your best!


***Round 1 - Bardic Olympics***

Choose ONE of the following scenarios, and respond in the form of your
first entry.

1.  The battle has raged for days.  Ansteorra's warriors, badly
outnumbered, continue to fight valiantly in spite of their injuries,
hunger, and exhaustion.  On the eve of a clash that will decide the
kingdom's fate, your King looks to you to bolster the hearts of his
men.

2.  The Queen has asked you to entertain at an afternoon tea for
visiting Ladies of the Rose.  Her Majesty has a wicked sense of humor,
but some of her royal cousins possess decidedly more delicate
sensibilities.  Your duty is to delight your monarch without offending
her guests.

3.  You have been commissioned--or, perhaps, inspired--to pen a paean
of love to a subject of adoration.  Unfortunately, you have
subsequently been thrust into a world in which the words "love" and
"adore" do not exist.  The words "pine," "admire," "yearn," and "long
for" are likewise strangely absent from the dictionary.  You get the
picture.  Still, it is absolutely imperative that the pined-for
individual be made aware of your (or your patron's) feelings.

4.  You are invited to share your craft at a local demo for the
public.  You may have heard it said that modern ears "can't
appreciate" period music, or that our attention spans can't hold up to
to period storytelling.  We know that's rubbish, don't we?  Perform a
piece that will teach your listeners just how enjoyable "period" can
be.

5.  You have somehow found yourself charged with the care of a gaggle
of small children.  One is trying to pick a fight with his sister.
Another is experiencing mommy separation anxiety.  A third is an
absolute font of questions for which you have no conceivable answer.
When you ask if they would like to hear a story, they fall silent,
wide-eyed, and nod.  This is your opening.  You must not hesitate.

***Round 2 - Personal Challenge***

Try Something New.

I had originally planned to call this "stepping outside your comfort
zone," but I want people to feel confident, not uncomfortable, while
performing.  I AM asking, though, that you Try Something New.  This is
left to the individual judgment of each performer, of course, but at
the very least I ask that you choose a piece with which you have NEVER
competed before.

Beyond that, it's up to you.  Perhaps you are a singer and would like
to try a spoken piece.  Perhaps you've always wanted to write original
material and haven't yet taken the plunge.  Perhaps you're known for
your dirges, and would like to try to make us laugh.  If nothing else,
this would be a great time to try out a period piece if you don't have
many in your repertoire.  Again, I don't want you to stress yourself
out trying to do something you're reaaally not comfortable with--but I
would like to see people stretching their bardic muscles.  When you
are Premier Bard, you may be asked to try a lot of things you've never
done before, and it's important that you be able to do so with
confidence.  This is good practice!

***Round 3 - Victory Lap (almost)***

You've made it this far.  You're in the finals.  You few, you happy
few, you--well, you get it.  Pull out all the stops.  Choose a piece
that lets you shine!

***

There you have it.  If you have any questions, please contact me as
soon as possible.  See you Saturday!

In service to Crown and Kingdom,
Lady Catrin ferch Maelgwn
Premier Bard of Ansteorra