Tickets are $35 and include a meal consisting of a thick soup served with a dinner roll, a meat turnover, half a chicken, and pumpkin pie for dessert – albeit with no utensils, as such luxuries did not exist in the 14th century. Entertainment will be provided by the Medieval Players, a group of volunteer actors who will stage an original play that unfolds over a number of acts in between courses.

This year’s plot is a comedy that centers around a mystery involving a murder at the royal court with its usual — and not-so-usual — suspects, including a gnome, death, and other archetypal characters. The murder is investigated by one of the kingdom’s incompetent investigative agencies as they set about the task of interviewing suspects, some of whom may include the feast’s unwitting patrons.

Interspersed among the acts will be the traditional Medieval-era “commercials,” the annual Dragon Wing contest in which contestants vie to be the first to finish a plate of red-hot chicken wings, and awards for the evening’s best costumes in which winners receive tickets to future Franco Center performances of their choice. Costumes are optional.

The Medieval Players consist of many veteran local actors including Dan Crawford, Bruce Gerry, Neil James, Dan Kane, Owen Kane, Ken Mansur, Heather Marichal, Jennifer McClure-Groover, Stan Spilecki, and Sean Wallace. Directing the production will be Franco Center Program Director Richard Martin.

Reserved seat tickets may be purchased by phone at 207-689-2000, at www.francocenter.org, or at the box office, 46 Cedar St., between noon and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

While there is no minimum age to attend, the Franco Center suggests that parents use discretion in deciding whether to bring their children. The Medieval Feast occasionally employs bawdy humor and occasional references to chastity belts, cod pieces and clinically incorrect terms for bodily functions. Only parents know what type of humor will sail over the heads of their little dukes and duchesses.


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