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| Charlie Hunt (God), Mark Burghagen (John), Ehren Mierau (Jesus) |
My friends Charlie and Rosie have lived in York for all the years I have had the pleasure of knowing them (I met Charlie at The University of Ripon and York St John back in the mid eighties). Throughout his time in York he has been an actor and Rosie a singer. When I heard that the Mystery Plays were being performed this year - with Charlie acting as God - I was very keen to watch them with my family. Charlie and Rosie kindly put us up for the the weekend and we combined a guided tour of Holgate Mill (where Rosie is a miller) with The Mystery plays and many pubs!
The Guilds of York have been presenting wagon plays every four years since 1998. They are a revival of the four cycles of mystery plays, once performed in York, Chester, Towneley (Wakefield) and Ludus Converiae Coventry. Mystery plays are derived from Latin liturgical offices performed in churches during Easter and Christmas. Both vernacular Mystery plays and religious Liturgical dramas where performed from as early as the twelfth century and flourished during the 1400s throughout western Europe.
The Guilds of York have been presenting wagon plays every four years since 1998. They are a revival of the four cycles of mystery plays, once performed in York, Chester, Towneley (Wakefield) and Ludus Converiae Coventry. Mystery plays are derived from Latin liturgical offices performed in churches during Easter and Christmas. Both vernacular Mystery plays and religious Liturgical dramas where performed from as early as the twelfth century and flourished during the 1400s throughout western Europe.
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| Waggon crew Brad Kirkland, Erika Grahm, Maggie Caudwell |
The convention of Latin liturgy made the vernacular
plays possible but from very early on this root, together with their core
biblical themes were to be their only similarity. Whilst the church offices were ostensibly performed
for the instruction of the Christian message, the Mystery plays were from the
outset an ostentatious wrapped up with the representation of the prowess of the
guild presenting the drama. The very
origin of 'Mystery' in the context of the plays is from the medival word Masiterie, meaning
“craft” - i.e. the craftworkers who were responsible for the wagon, play,
actors and production.
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| Audience outside York Minster |
As with the
current day Mystery plays, each guilds wagon, actors and much of the audience
perambulated around the city in the open air.
These dramas being repeated at various predetermined points throughout
the city. Mystery plays took place on the Holy
days. As each guild within the city had
their own drama to perform the whole day was filled with both the participants
and their audience moving around and enjoying the spectacle
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| Charlie Hunt (God) following waggon |
The York Mystery
Plays are comprised of forty-eight pageants. The York Mystery plays, are held in London's British
Library. These are comprised of thirteen thousand lines of
verse and represent a unique survival of medieval theatre. They
form the only complete play cycle verifiably associated with the feast of
Corpus Christi that is extant and was performed at a specific location in
England.
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| James Witchwood (Angel 1), Stephanie Richter (Angel 2), Kate Thomas (Angel 3) |
The HIDden TheatreCompany performed The Baptism. They produced an interpretation of a medieval
script of The Baptism of Christ. Their
interpretation tried to communicate to their audience the hope of redemption, passed down
through the ages and manifested in the ceremony of Baptism. During the play John is overwhelmed by his
unworthiness to baptise Jesus. When he
is convinced by Jesus to perform the ceremony, the audience is rewarded by the
sight of Holy Ghost and God forming a tableau around Jesus and John; an effect
further enhanced by a beautiful chorus of heavenly voices (provided by James Witchwood, Stephanie Richter and Kate Thomas).
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