Hear ye! Hear ye! The townspeople of the fair district of Canyons are invited forthwith to Hillcrest High’s annual Renaissance Feaste and Program.
 
The event, which features Hillcrest’s choral music and theater departments, is Feb. 12-15, 2014. Doors to the “Lovers’ Feaste” open each night at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.  Seating is limited to 250 people per night.
 
Cost for the Wednesday evening performance and five-course dinner is $12.   Tickets to other nights – Thursday through Saturday – are $16.  True to the fashion of the renaissance era, guests will eat the meal without the aid of utensils.
 
The dinner of hot wassail, soup, salad, potatoes, chicken and a fruit tart dessert will be served by Hillcrest students and supportive parents dressed in Renaissance garb. RaNae Dalgleish, the choir and orchestra director who makes an appearance in a not-to-be-missed Queen Elizabeth costume, says the auditorium stage will be transformed over the weekend into a grand Renaissance castle.
 
“The people who come, they are so surprised when they go and feel like they are back in another time,” Dalgleish says. “It’s a fun night that you can just let go of the world and put yourself in another place.”
 
The “royalty” of the evening – the vocal ensemble students – will take part in a colorful and dramatic procession. Then, the lords and ladies will serenade the guests with several musical selections. A string quartet also will provide music to attendees, and a special 15-minute version of “Hamlet” will be performed.
 
Students started working on the production before the holiday break.  They’ve spent countless hours perfecting their songs, characters, costumes – and the menu.  Many students even earned their food-handler permits in order to participate in the event.
 
“There is a spirit of camaraderie and teamwork,” Dalgleish says. “Everyone has a part.  Everyone has something they can do.”
 
Parent Karen Conder has helped with the event for several years, and she says the students enjoy putting on the feaste as much as guests enjoy attending.  It’s her second son’s final year being involved, she said, “and it’s been a lot of fun” for the whole family.  What’s been most notable for her, she said, is that students of all talents, interests and abilities are invited to participate and learn from the activity.
 
Hillcrest’s Renaissance Feaste has been a community draw for more than 20 years.
“There are so many kids who have grown up with the tradition.  Their siblings have done it, and they want to do it,” says Dalgleish. “The thing I love is that the kids get to taste, feel, and experience the Renaissance in a way they couldn’t by just singing in the hall.  It comes alive for them.”
 
For tickets, contact a Hillcrest choir student or call the Main Office at 801-826-6000.  Tickets must be purchased or reserved in advance.