I attended this year’s UT’s Madrigal Dinner, “Something Borrowed, Something Brewed,” put on by Creative Arts + Theatre. For those of you who are curious (because I did not know beforehand), a madrigal dinner is a form of dinner theater that is set in the Renaissance (or Medieval) period that is traditionally held around the holidays. The UT Madrigal Dinner is a 35-year tradition and it was excellent to witness. You can read about past dinners and performers at the Daily Texan’s website, here and here.

The night began in the foyer of UT’s Student Union where the choir sang opening songs and the first act took place. We were then led into the Shirley Bird Perry Ballroom, which had been transformed into a large dining hall with a stage at the front.

Throughout the evening an act of the play would take place, followed by a short concert by the choir, and then another course of the meal was brought out. While the guests ate, the actors and choir members would go around to each table and perform improve while staying in character. They would also sing (somewhat raunchy) songs that were quite popular at our table. At the end of each act and song we were instructed to yell “Huzzah!”

 A slightly blurry photo of the actors performing at our table.

 The student performers had an excellent energy and you could tell they were excited to take part in the performance. The crowd fed off the performer’s energy, and it was really fun to be actively involved in the telling of the story. The dinner lasted about three and a half hours, but the time flew by and it was fun to speak with the performers and meet other members of our table. I would definitely recommend looking into the madrigal dinner next year as well as other Creative Arts + Theatre performances.

As the semester has continued, I have made an effort to again engage in the university’s offerings outside of the McCombs Business School, however it is not easy as time has passed so quickly in the program. I cannot believe it is the end of November! I blinked and the semester was ending. I would encourage you  to make plans and prioritize what you would like to take part in before kicking off the semester because it is an absolute whirlwind when you get started.

                  A picture of my mom and me in front of the stage.