Congratulations to Algona, Iowa’s very own Bishop Garrigan High School for their smashing performance of my musical, “The Madrigal Dinner,” on December 11th, 2011. An all-star cast led by Philip Detrick as “Jester” and Shawn Vaske as “King Henry” took the show and ran away with it: melding together a high school, a middle school, six choirs, an art department, a drama department, a whole lot of community volunteers, and a troupe of recorder players to form a truly impressive spectacle.

The entertainment was nonstop – from the addition of several short vignettes I wrote to help accommodate the extra large ensemble, to a handful of skits crafted by the students themselves: including one chronicling Prince Artemis’ (Dustin Miller) study of the piano under the comical tutelage of Friar Lawrence Xavier (Matthew Fakler). The talented actors, tons of festive holiday music, and a delicious three course dinner all contributed to an entertaining and weighty theatrical experience that I’m sure no one in the audience is soon to forget. I certainly won’t.

Special thanks are owed to the lady behind the scenes who pulled everyone together, Linda Ferjak, and the Haggard-Twogood Charitable Foundation. You have my admiration and appreciation for putting on such a wonderful show! Great job!