It’s the year of the woman and Medieval Times Atlanta is joining in on the celebration, introducing its first-ever female-led show Nov. 9. The live dining and entertainment show, which brings the medieval era to the 21st century, today announced the impending arrival of a Queen in Atlanta, who will serve as the sole ruler of the land with the passing of her father, the previous king. This is the fourth show to debut at the Atlanta Castle, since its gates opened in 2006 and the first with a female lead.
“Leadership and chivalry know no limitations, and that includes gender,” said William Phillips, general manager of Medieval Times Atlanta. “We are honored to celebrate a strong female lead in this new show and our entire cast, from knights to falcons and horses, are working tirelessly behind-the-scenes to create an authentic medieval experience that entertains, while attaching to a topic that is incredibly timely and inspiring.”
Jousting, fighting, horsemanship, swordplay and a fresh, hot, four-course feast remain central elements of the dinner attraction. With the cast and script change come a series of other significant changes to the show:
- More than 700 new costumes for all nine castles’ performers including horses, all of which are custom-designed and hand-made at a dedicated costume shop near Dallas Design District.
- 200 new suits of armor, shields, and helmets, all of which are custom-designed and hand-made at a dedicated armory in Florida.
- More than 350 team members and 225 horses train and rehearse new lines and fight scenes for three months while still presenting the current show.
- It takes two months to teach a queen to ride an Andalusian stallion.
- New music was composed by Dr. Daniel May, composer and jazz pianist who scored “Everest” and other films and who worked with Sting, The Moody Blues and others. He directed and recorded Medieval Times’ new show composition in Kiev with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. He directed the choir in Ukraine with lyrics written by poet and choir member Solomia Gorokhivska, and a solo cellist and violin player from Pittsburgh, PA.
- The audience experiences a live action film score that is precisely synchronized with every element of the show, from lights to fights; jousts to jabs; the queen’s entry to curtain closings; and more.
- The sound and light team spends 120 hours programming 300 new music cues and 500 new lighting cues. Several castles are installing and programming a new LED lighting system that offers 256 colors versus the old 14-color system. The system is powered by 10 miles of cable and an estimated million-dollar upgrade.
Medieval Times announced the new queen-led show in 2017, marking a major break from a 34-year long tradition of casting a king as the lead role. The show has made its way throughout eight castles in the U.S. and Canada. Atlanta will be its last stop and final hurrah.
For more information or to book your visit to Medieval Times, visit MedievalTimes.com or call 1-888-WE-JOUST. Follow Medieval Times’ Atlanta Castle on Facebook at Facebook.com/MedievalTimesATL and Instagram @MedievalTimesATL.
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