{"id":600146730,"date":"2025-04-23T02:00:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T07:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.winnipegfreepress.com\/our-communities\/east\/2025\/04\/23\/dungeons-and-dragons-and-a-choir"},"modified":"2025-04-25T09:15:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T14:15:27","slug":"dungeons-and-dragons-and-a-choir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winnipegfreepress.com\/our-communities\/east\/2025\/04\/23\/dungeons-and-dragons-and-a-choir","title":{"rendered":"Dungeons and dragons and\u2026 a choir?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A local choir is bringing a magical campaign to life, providing audiences with a unique, immersive experience.<\/p>\n

On May 9 and 10, the Incantatem Singers will present Bardic Inspiration: A D&D A Cappella Musical<\/em>, which the company of singers describes as \u201can imaginative and hilarious fusion of tabletop adventure and live choral performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Written by choir member Mike Penner, Bardic Inspiration<\/em> tells the story of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign from beginning to end.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Supplied\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Supplied photo<\/p>\n

On May 9 and 10, the Incantatem Singers will present Bardic Inspiration: A D&D A Cappella Musical, at John Black Memorial United Church (898 Henderson Hwy.).<\/p><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been wanting to do a D&D-themed show for quite a while,\u201d said Kyle Neufeld, Incantatem board chair and a founding member of the choir, which performs selections from a wide array of fandoms at its concerts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew we wanted it to be a bigger, more ambitious show, so we had to wait for the time when we had the energy and time to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dungeon master wants to impress a girl, so he goes all out in bringing full sound effects and acting into the game,\u201d explained musical director Sara Jane Schmidt. \u201cIt is a little more ambitious. It\u2019s more integrated, the script and music. We\u2019ve done a lot of rehearsing with choir and actors, and some of the choir members are doing some live action role-playing. Things are happening all the time. It\u2019s like full body choir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neufeld has been playing Dungeons & Dragons since 2020 and is a dungeon master herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I love about D&D is that it\u2019s collaborative storytelling,\u201d she said. \u201cThe dungeon master creates the setting and gives the players the problems and obstacles. The players work together to overcome those obstacles. Through that, we tell a story together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her group, which meets regularly, recently wrapped a three-year campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver those three years, I played one character,\u201d Neufeld said. \u201cShe went through an incredible story arc that I got to experience alongside her. There are other things about the game that other people will prefer or stand out, but for me it\u2019s very much the creating a world, creating a character and telling a story with my friends. And also, I get to cast some spells!\u201d<\/p>\n

While Bardic Inspiration<\/em> is fully centred in D&D lore, you don\u2019t have to be a dungeon master to enjoy the performance \u2014 though it does help to be familiar with the long-running role-playing game.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery cleverly in the script, there is a newbie player, so several things are explained along the way,\u201d Schmidt said. \u201cThere are also songs from other fandoms. It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re a D&D person, you\u2019ll probably hear something that you\u2019ll connect with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve done a great job and I hope that audience members will think so, too,\u201d Neufeld added. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked hard to create a compelling story with lots of immersive and visual storytelling elements. We\u2019ve worked really hard to make sure the audience feels like they\u2019re a part of the adventure, and not just watching it. I\u2019m looking forward to seeing audience reactions to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bardic Inspiration: A D&D A Cappella Musical <\/em>will run May 9 and 10 at John Black Memorial United Church (898 Henderson Hwy.). Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., with showtime at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20, or $12 for those aged 12 and under. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit www.zeffy.com\/en-CA\/ticketing\/bardic-inspiration<\/a><\/p>

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