Madrigal:  Decorations

Art Director Interview Construction Historical Notes

Chris Dokolasa

Madrigal Art Director

How do you make the room look authentic? 
Since I have visited several castles in Europe, I was familiar with some basic ideas for the interior. Stone walls, large heraldic banners,  drapery that spans the ceiling, torches for lighting, heavy wooden doorways, wooden candelabras, and stained glass windows were all integral parts of the design. I researched heraldic designs for the banners and  coats of arms for the table paintings that designate the different houses (i.e. House of York, House of Windsor, etc.) Hung throughout the hall are large drawings taken from woodcut prints of medieval scenes by Albrect Durer. These are very detailed scenes of dancing, parades and other celebrations. Many of the props are stage like props, but I think the feeling of the castle is definitely there.

What materials do you use to decorate? 
The large banners that hang along the sides and ceiling drapery are made from felt as are the canopy and side banners for the stage tables where the singers sit. The wooden candelabras that stand on the floor in between the large heraldic banners were made by the wood shop teacher. The boards that denote the various houses for the dinner tables are simply masonite and acrylic paint. The large, stone “walls” are painted on canvas with acrylic paint (photo shows an example). The woodcut drawings are done with black marker on brown paper. The paper is stained with brown watercolor washes and burnt along the edges to make them look old. 

What is the easiest area to decorate?
The whole set up of the decorations is a process that takes several teams of workers several hours. The room must be cleared first so the ceiling drapery can be hung across the room. Then the large heraldic banners can be hung along the sides of the room from the ceiling. This usually takes one team of workers.  The side and back walls of the room are covered with rolls of plastic that is printed to look like  black marble. This helps the walls to recede in the dim lighting during the dinner. The front and side stone walls of  painted  canvas are hung on frames built behind the front banquet tables. The frame for the canopy over the singers' tables is set up and the felt is stapled to it. Last, the drawings are stuck to the back wall to finish the room off. 

How do you recruit people to help? 
The choir members are responsible for setting up the decorations. However, in past years I have had some of my students and art club members volunteer to help with the decorating. 

What is the most difficult part of decorating for a madrigal dinner? 
Initially, it was the hours spent creating the decorations. The painting all needed to be done by one person so everything flowed. Once the decorations were made and used they all had to be packed away and stored properly so everything would be ready to go for the next year. The actual set up is a matter of keeping everyone organized, making sure they understand what their job is and then keeping them on task. 

What would you suggest to people taking on a similar task? 
Keep detailed files on how everything is done. Make sure there are students involved from year to year so they are familiar with how it all goes together. Make sure all instructions for set up and take down are written down and hung up where they can be easily referred to as well as given verbally. Make sure you have a good place to store all the decorations where no one else will get into them. Keep everything together! Be organized! 

Additional Comments.
Madrigal dinners are a lot of work but once you have gone through it one or two times its does get easier as long as you stay organized. The event itself is always so beautiful, a delightful evening for sure! I think our vocal music teacher visited many madrigal dinners and talked to a lot of other teachers who put them on before she started planning ours. I think you can get a lot of good ideas from others as well as adding your own once you see several different dinners.