From a post in the Facebook group King Richards Faire/ BRF Past and Present.
Oyez, Ahoy and Hello again to Chicago’s King Richard’s Faire Fans! Here is the program for 1978. I missed previously posting this in (more-or-less) chronological order, but am posting this now at the request of Chris Classen. Some items of note:
- John Mills was the director of entertainment. Bob Dawson was his assistant. Denise Harnish was the theme weekend coordinator. Richard and Bonnie Shapiro (the owners) were the “King” and “Queen” of the Faire.
- King Richard was played by James A. Belushi and “The Queen” was Sandra Davenport. Jim Belushi was a comedian with Chicago’s Second City. They would marry in 1980 and divorce in 1988.
- Jim Belushi was replaced early in the season by Vaughn Filwett.
- There are several (some say spurious) rumors about the brief tenure of the Second City company of performers’ participation at King Richard’s Faire this year.
- Jacob Mills directed Last Chance Circuz – Commedia Dell’Arte.
- Brian Leo (of later Molly and the Tinker fame) directed The Christian Theatre Company.
- Jeffrey Grigny returned with Imagination Theatre.
- Jousting Knights of the Renaissance returned as that year’s horse joust troupe.
- The early music group Musickes Merrie Companions returned.
- Music Group Grimalkin returned with members including Tom Delany and William Pint (of Pint & Dale fame).
- The inimitable Le Royal Jongleurs du Dales returned with members including Barbara Burinski, Douglas Kondziolka, Donna Goforth née Lusch, and Lee Ramey.
- Sungarden returned with Bob Bielefeld, Peggy Turner and Gary Roberts.
- Rob Tomaro returned as a wandering minstrel.
- Mike Dvorak was a troubadour.
- James Jim Ellis was the Prince of Fools.
- Vaughn Filwett was cast as the Town Crier, but early in the season replaced Jim Belushi as King Richard.
- The Sturdy Beggars members are listed as Jamie Baron, Paul Barosse and Herbert Metzler, Jr.
- Frank Harnish appeared as William Shakespeare.
- The Christian Theater Company performance area was in the old SCA foot-jousting space. The foot-jousting area had moved to the far south-west corner between the Human Chess Board and the Minstrel Stage.
- The site had not yet opened the “new market” area and visitors to the park had to turn left when entering.
- The area later called “The Punishment Place” had not yet been created (a second circle of booths with a greenroom area behind the buildings).
- The area later called the Minstrel’s Glen had not yet been carved out of the Inner Circle.