Eight hundred and thirty-five years ago on a moor near the banks of the River Wye, a workman turned the first shovel in the construction of a great baronial manor. There would be sleeping rooms, cattle pens, galleries, gardens, a chapel, and a grand banqueting hall. The structure, later dubbed Haddon Hall, became a well-known landmark in Derbyshire. Over generations and through centuries, the buildings housed all the activities of life from court events and lavish celebrations to business and family activities. The inhabitants were born, prospered and then passed from the scene. The styles and customs changed with the times. The political and economic life of the country around followed the course of history. Haddon Hall witnessed all this and still stands today as a tangible link to the life and times of that workman with a shovel.

The set on which you are seeing the Revels performed today is designed to evoke the Great Banquet Room of Haddon Hall. It is a location that hosts joyous gatherings where dear friends and family can celebrate the deeply-felt connections that bind us all together. It is a place where we enact the old rituals that awake meanings more sensed than understood; where we raise our voices together in song and reawaken our resolve to drive the dark away.

For the twentieth time, this year, we Revelers gather to celebrate the mystery of the Solstice. Twenty times we have watched the seasons turn. Twenty times we have noted the passing of the old year and celebrated the promise of the new. Like Haddon Hall, the styles and customs of our celebration have changed with time, and like Haddon Hall, the inhabitants of our stage have come and gone. Some have grown to adulthood within our ranks and some have passed from the scene forever.

The very first performance of what would become the California Revels was the Haddon Hall show. In this year’s program, we have retained the style and much of the content of that first show. It is an homage to Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer and the cadre of talented and enthusiastic performers who brought Revels to the Bay Area two decades ago. By reviving this show we honor their hope and determination and we celebrate the values that have carried the organization through an entire generation.

Like Haddon Hall, the Revels offers not only refuge, but also comfort and a place to gather and celebrate community. It is a tangible link to the many generations that have preceded us. It is a place where we can come to touch and reaffirm the human spirit. So join us, this year and every year in our joyous cry, “Welcome Yule!”.

David Parr – Artistic Director