Every spring semester, That Medieval Thing puts on a renaissance-faire type event known as Medfest. This year, the event was held on Saturday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the lawn by the Ehinger Center, as well as inside and outside S.W. Bowne Hall.
The plot of the main show they put on varies from year to year, and this year it was based on the BBC’s Merlin. Many of the characters in the show are ones that already exist and that many people know and love. The head board members and cast worked hard every day since the semester started, with planning even happening in the fall semester. They all worked together to make the script, written by Samantha DeFalco (‘25), come to life.
During the event, there were performances from the cast, outside combat and musical performers, raffles for things like wands and swords, medieval-themed food, and student and local vendors selling a variety of goods. Each act of the main performance was split up into different time slots, allowing the audience to have time to shop and eat during breaks.
There was a high amount of attendance from Drew University students, staff, alumni and even some prospective and admitted students who came from the Open House hosted by the Admissions department. The high attendance rate was due in part to the fact that That Medieval Thing has a very strong connection with their alumni who come back year after year to reconnect with friends and board members.
The script was also very accurate to the Arthurian myths and kept the audience constantly engaged. This was all thanks to the script writer Samantha DeFalco (‘25) and historian Kevin Feinstein (‘28), who worked together to craft an amazing script.
Overall, this year’s Medfest was another great event in the books for That Medieval Thing, which continues to provide attendees with a magical and mystical escape from reality.
Katie Germinder is a sophomore majoring in Environmental Studies and Sustainability.
