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Greetings!
Where does the time go? It seems like we just said
goodbye to our 20th annual Christmas Revels at
Haddon Hall in
medieval England and here we are less than a month
away from 2006 production in the frontier land of
Quebec. We hope to see you there as
we welcome the passing of the shortest day and
Welcome Yule together.
In celebration,
Dirk Burns, Executive Director
David Parr, Artistic Director
| Revels Favorite, Geoff Hoyle & Son at Noe Valley Music Series |
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On SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18th, 8:15pm Sanchez
street in San Francisco will once again swarm with
Noe Valley's biggest names in entertainment!
The Noe Valley Ministry is proud to present:
"NO BLOOD FOR HOYLE"
a fall cabaret extravaganza with Geoff and Dan Hoyle.
Featuring Svetlana the Python, The further "Noe
Valley Chronicles," How to Be Your Own Bush: Lesson
2, Ron from Sheboygan, WI., Garry from Gary,
IN...and more material from the Hoyle living room that
has spawned so many of your favorite hits!
Saturday, November 18th, 8:15pm
The Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez St, @ 24th
St., San Francisco.
Tickets: $14 advance, $16 at door.
Tkt. outlets at Streetlight Records and Down Home
Music, as well as advance tix by mail through the
Ministry.
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| Yule at the Zoo |
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The California Revels Ensemble Chorus will be
performing at 2:00 on Saturday afternoon, December
2nd in the amphitheatre at the Valley Children's Zoo
area of the Oakland Zoo.
This is a chance to get a sneak-peek of some of the
songs featured in this year's Christmas Revels with a
program of traditional Solstice carols, seasonal
singalongs and Yuletide merriment. There is no
additional cost beyond regular zoo admission.
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| The Beginnings of Revels, an Essay by John Langstaff |
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Many people have asked how Revels got started.
The
following essay was written by late Revels Founder
John Langstaff and was published in the book "About
Revels" which is available at
www.calrevels.org/revels-booksandCD.html
The Revels may well have started with our family
carol parties. My mother and father began inviting
friends to sing carols on the Sunday night before
Christmas in 1920, the year I was born. I soon joined
their musical party: hearing my father sing the ballad
of “King Herod and the Cock” with my mother at the
piano, miming the page to his King Wenceslas,
struggling to remember to sing out at the right
moment when verses of the “The Twelve Days of
Christmas” were divided up among the family, and
singing “The Friendly Beasts” with my brothers and
sister. The guests, crowded into the candlelit house
in Brooklyn Heights, joined in singing the well-known
carols and our favorite Bach chorales and rounds.
The spicy smell of hot wassail brewing on the stove
all day permeated the house.
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| Help Us Usher in the Season |
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How would you like to help California Revels and see
the Christmas Revels for free at the same time? We
are seeking ushers to help seat patrons before the
show and volunteers to work at our merchandise
tables during intermission at every performance this
December. It's both fun and a great way to become
part of the production. To sign up please call the
office at 510-452-9334 or email
calrevels@calrevels.org with your name, phone
number and the date and time you would like to
volunteer. Thanks!!
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The 2006 Christmas Revels - A French Canadian Journey |
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Bon Jour! This year the 21st annual Christmas Revels
looks north to the rugged snow covered forests of
19th
century Quebec. Our theatrical journey to the
French Canadian village of Trois Rivieres provides us
the opportunity to explore the customs, music,
dance and storytelling traditions of a people thriving
in a simpler existence. Like those early settlers we
too recall memories of past “temps des fetes” and
the magic and excitement of childhood yuletide, and
we look forward to the time we shall spend with
friends and family at this special time of the year. We
come together for a few hours as part of a larger
family; we join hands and voices with our neighbors
and share the spirit of the winter holidays. Joining us
will be the internationally acclaimed Pierre Chartrand
of Montreal’s Danse Cadence and squeezebox player
Dave Cahn, along with noted local dancers Kalia
Kliban and Sarah Brug. Our 60 member adult and
children’s chorus along with other actors, storytellers
and mummers who will have you smiling, laughing, and
singing along to the Quebecois “kitchen music” in true
Revels style. The Christmas Revels is the perfect anti-
dote to the shopping season. It is a chance to
remember and celebrate simpler times. Make it one of
your holiday traditions. Purchase tickets at
www.calrevels.org or by calling 510-452-3800. (extra
$2 per ticket charge for phone orders only.)
Find out more....
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