St. John’s Lutheran Church
1950 Silver St, Jacksonville, FL
Join us for a FREE event focused on the fun and camaraderie of bardic and performing arts!
There will be a brisket fundraiser lunch available. Register for lunch here!
Site Opens: 9 AM – Site Closes: Midnight
Bardic Madness Provosts:
Aibhilin inghean Daibhidh (Trimaris) and Mathias Blackett (Meridies)
Contact aibhilind@gmail.com with questions
Lunch Cook Extraordinare:
Jehanette de Lille
Register for Lunch
What is Bardic Madness?
Bardic Madness is an event devoted to challenging yourself to try new things and try the bardic arts. There are NO competitions and NO winners at Bardic Madness. Instead, we host a series of challenges, arranged into Fyts, that will encourage you to explore new skills and try your hand at new activities. We welcome song, story, poetry, magic, instruments, and more! This is an event where there is NO memorization required, where we challenge you to learn new pieces and try new art forms, and where we have FUN supporting each other in sharing the Bardic Arts.
Who are Patrons?
Each challenge at Bardic Madness is hosted by a Patron. ANYONE can be a patron, regardless of “rank”. The Patron will MC the challenge and give each participate a token of largess as a thank you for participating. We have challenge ideas for you, or you can come up with your own challenge! If you would like to be a Patron, please contact aibhilind@gmail.com.
Commedia dell’Arte Performance
In answer to Challenge 5, “Duel of the Fates,” a joint Commedia performance from players in Trimaris and Meridies will present:
“Don’t Get Cocky, Flavio” – A Star Wars Commedia dell’Arte short play!
Tentative Schedule Available Here (this is in warm, wet jello)
Challenges
1 – I Hate Sand… It Gets Everywhere!
Patron: Mistress Aibhilin inghean Daibhidh
In honor of May the Fourth (aka Star Wars Day), channel your inner Anakin Skywalker and write you best WORST love Sonnet. Make the bard cry! (Other poetic forms are also welcome, though period forms get bonus applause)
Example: If Anakin were to write a Sonnet based on his terrible profession of love, we might see…
My love I have some feelings to confess
But I am immature not eloquent
So as I stroke your arm in a caress
I’ll speak some words that cause most much torment
I don’t like sand it’s really course and lame
It’s rough and irritates my skin so thin
It’s everywhere, it’s really such a shame
I hate the feeling of sand on my skin
But here I see there isn’t sand at all
Here everything is soft and very smooth
I want to touch you more, my pretty doll
Though I am just an emo, mindless youth
But you will kiss me anyway you see
Despite my acting and bad writing spree
2 – A Long, Long Time Ago…
Patron: Master Mathias Blackett
Give us your best “No $#!t, there I was” story or song. Please keep stories between 3-5 minutes!
3 – I love you… I know! (aka Blow Someone Else’s Horn)
Patron: Thegn Knut Bjornsson
Perform the work of some other SCAdian! Anything goes, as long as you didn’t write it and someone in the SCA did! Extra applause for making it a piece from someone you’ve never heard of, or from a different Kingdom! Check out resources such as https://www.youtube.com/@ShavaSue and https://www.youtube.com/@CeriansKeep for new songs to learn! http://calonsong.org/ is a great resource for lyrics!
4 – Join the Cantina Band!
Patron: HRM Bronach of Kildare
Perform a piece on an instrument. It does not have to be a period piece or a period instrument. Extra applause if it’s a NEW instrument you are just learning to play!
5 – These Aren’t The Words You’re Looking For… But they’re the ones you’ve got!
Patron: Lady Inga Miðlungr
Write a song or poem using a list of words given to you in the morning. This will be the last challenge performed!
6 – Duel of the Fates
Patron: HRM Logan the Gardener
Twist SCA and Star Wars together into any bardic art! Filk a song to a Star Wars tune, medialize and retell a story, act out a scene in period fashion, or come up with your own way to combine these things!
Examples: Perform a period monologue as a Star Wars character (like Yoda), enact a Star Wars scene similar to this scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n16g2a8oxXk, or make your own version of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEcjgJSqSRU to your favorite bardic tune (like this Firefly song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgeNmOFk6Kk) to the popular song Rise by Master Hector (original here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO0d9C_MhjM)
7 – The Original Trilogy (aka Bard-Scribe-Illuminator)
Patron: Mistress Ambra Michelli
Compete as yourself or in a group of 2 or 3 to complete this challenge! You will be given a topic in the morning and your job is to write text for a scroll, calligraphy it up, and illuminate it by the end of the day! Show off and read your scroll at the end of the day!
8 – Try Not, Do!
Patron: Master Dahrien Cordell
Perform something that you have never performed before! This could be an original piece or a piece you just learned!
9 – Trust Your Instincts
Patron: HRM Sebastianos and Morgan of Meridies
Perform a piece appropriate to your persona. This could be a period piece from your persona’s time period, or an SCA piece that you think characterizes your persona
10 – Aren’t You a Little Short for a Storm Trooper?
Patron Needed!
Perform a haiku!
11 – Use the Force, Luke (Aka Channel your inner Frank Oz)
Patron Needed!
Perform something using a puppet. Any kind of performance is acceptable. Any kind of puppet is acceptable. Yes, we will have puppets available.
Your Challenge Could Be here!
Email aibhilind@gmail.com to submit a challenge and be a Patron, or to be a Patron of a listed challenge above!
(Bonus points if you theme it after May the Fourth!)
Bonus Challenge: Why, Hello there!
Patron: Maestra Isabetta de San Marco (aka Darth Izzie)
Are you a first-time performer? Perform you first SCA piece by completing any other challenge and you also earn bonus largess from Darth Izzie!