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Concept
Greeted in custom to the times of the Knights - the underlying theme for the evening - it is the Grand Master himself who declares the banquet open, but only after the knighting ceremony is over. Emissaries keep the guests in good company throughout the meal. They hop from table to table to act as hosts to the entertainers. The highlight is a mini-concerto from a choir.
Description
Dressed in period costumes, two teams of characters create 'live pictures' to serve as the first impact upon the guests' arrival. Composed of street performers, the first team is stationed at the drop zone where coaches unload their human cargo. Their task is to warm up the atmosphere. As guests disembark from their coaches, there are tongues of fire coming from a fire-blower and dancing balls of fire handed by a juggler. Two stilt-walkers accompany the guests in their stroll towards the venue.
An entourage of ceremonial guards composes the next 'live picture' by creating a passageway along a red carpet laid in front of the entrance to the premises. There are horsemen, torchbearers, trumpeters and drummers. As each coach-load approaches, the captain shouts orders for fanfares to sound their salute. The guests walk on the red carpet, through the train of guards and pass underneath a ceremonial tent carried by pages before they step inside the premises.
The master of ceremonies and his noble lady await their guests at the main entrance, welcoming the guests as they enter.
To keep guests entertained whilst the entire group congregates, a fire-eater, a sword-swallower/balancer perform on the side stages. Once all guests would have had time to sip their aperitif, the entourage of drummers and trumpeters parades inside the hall escorting the master of ceremonies and his noble lady. The master of ceremonies declares the banquet open and asks the guests to follow them downstairs to enjoy their dinner.
The entourage falls in the anti-room, playing a marching tune. All guests enter the dinning area. As soon as wine and water are served, the entourage, lead by the captain of the guards, parades into the dinning hall and falls in around the centre stage. The Master of ceremonies announces the arrival of the Grand master.
The grand master enters the hall with pages holding his train. Other pages carry the sword, vests, certificates and pendants required for the knighting ceremony.
The master of ceremonies reads out the grand master's message that pays homage to the 'PEOPLE of (name of corporate company)' and expresses his eminence's wish to honor such noble guests by proclaiming the 'chosen ones' as Knights of the Order of Melitensia. Pre-selected guests are called on stage.
So, a knighting ceremony ensues with all its due ceremonial pomp: the drum rolls ... the sword that kisses the shoulders ... the prayer invoking God's guidance ... and so the chosen ones are invested, adorned with silver pendant (eight-pointed cross) and given a certificate to mark the occasion. Finally, the grand master embraces the new 'knights'.
After the ceremonials, the master of ceremonies announces that ... "His Eminence shall now bestow his grace upon each and everyone of you." The roll of drums introduces the 'emissaries' or six teams of characters that enter the hall from all sides. Each 'emissary' is composed of a scribe, two hostesses and a strolling duo musician.
The grand master asks all guests to stand up and lift their hands up in custom. A chant in Latin follows that ends up with the guests joining in with an "Amen". The grand master dispatches the 'emissaries' to execute his solemn orders and finally ends with the magic phrase "Bon Appetite". The entourage exists the hall along with the master of ceremonies and the grandmaster. The six teams of Emissaries take their stations.
Throughout dinner the teams of strolling musicians entertain the guests with merry making tunes. Meanwhile the two hostesses roam around tables to invite guests in having their names written down on a nice sheet of paper provided by the girls. As soon as a table is ready the girls pass the sheet of paper to the scribe who writes the certificate in gothic style calligraphy. Then the girls will eventually present it in a ceremonial way to the guests. This operation will keep going on until the main course is cleared. The objective is to create an effective communications tool that, though for a short span, helps to generate a more affable atmosphere around the tables.
As soon as sweets and coffee is served, the choir takes the stage to perform a thirty-minute spot. The show program is built around both classic and contemporary arias.
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