Online Theatre History 1

1. Medieval
Theatre
Cycle Plays
Mysteries
Miracles
Moralities

2. Scops
The Scop shares the tales of
heroes and monsters, of epic
battles, of kings and great
warriors.

3. Mummers' Play at Haddon Hall, from The Mansions of England in Olden
Time (1849)

4. Development of Medieval Theatre
Clerical Lay
Latin Vernacular
In Church Outside Church
Biblical Stories Hybrid Secular
Tropes Liturgical
Drama
Miracle/
Cycle
Plays
Mystery
(hybrid)
Plays
Moralities Complete
Secular
Plays

5. Cycle Plays Sacred: short religious plays
presented as a collection (cycle)
ex: Wakefield/Towneley, York
GENRES
Mystery Plays Sacred: Bible stories
Miracle Plays Sacred: Saints
Moralities Secular: Moral Lessons

6. Chartres Cathedral

7. Side View of Chartres

8. Plan of Chartres Cathedral

9. Washington National Cathedral

10. Plan of Washington National Cathedral

11. • www.monks.org
• http://www.farnboroughabbey.org/horarium.php
• http://www.parkminster.org.uk/site.php?use=default
• http://www.easterbrooks.com/personal/calendar/index.php
• http://www.themass.org/c-0209.htm
• http://www.universalis.com/cgi-bin/display/-600/USA/readings.htm
• http://www.osb.org/ordo/index.html
• http://www.request.org.uk/main/churches/tours/canterbury/tour.htm
• http://catholic-resources.org/ChurchDocs/Mass.htm

12. Quem Quaeritis?

13. Holy Women at
the Sepulchre,
late tenth
century

14. Quem Quaeritis?
Interrogation. Quem quaeritis in sepulchro, o Christicolae?
Responsio. Jesum Nazarenum crucifixum, o caelicolae.
Angeli. Non est hic; surrexit, sicut praedixerat. Ite, nuntiate
quia surrexit de sepulchro
(Question [by the Angels}. Whom do ye seek in the
sepulcher, O followers of Christ?
Answer [ by the Marys] Jesus of Nazareth, who was
crucified, just as he foretold.
The Angels. He is not here: he is risen, just as he foretold.
Go, announce that he is risen from the sepulcher)

15. Hrosvitha

16. CYCLE PLAYS
(Second Shepherd’s Play)

18. Creation/Lucifer (Tanners)
The creation of the world and the fall of Lucifer. As punishment for his
pride, he loses his beauty and is cast down into hell.
Creation/5 Days (Plasterers)
The first five days of creation showing God's power over the universe.
Adam & Eve (Cardmakers)
The creation of Adam and Eve.
Eden (Fullers [makers of a felt-like cloth])
The Lord brings Adam and Eve into Paradise, and warns them not to eat
the fruit of the tree of Knowledge.
Fall of Man (Coopers)
The Serpent tempts Eve; she eats the fruit, and gives it to Adam.
Explusion (Armorers)
Punished for their sin, Adam and Eve are thrown out of Paradise by a
heavily armed angel.
Cain & Abel (Glovers)
Cain, enraged because the Lord shows preference to Abel, commits
fratricide. The York Register lacks a good portion of this text, which the
Toronto production reconstructed from another source.

19. Noah's Ark (Shipwrights)
The Lord commands Noah to build the ark. The man playing Noah was
likely a shipbuilder. This play rather wittily shows the Lord endorsing this
man's ship-building enterprise. Other humor revolves around Noah's
slapstick struggle to bring his wife aboard the ship -- she prefers to stay
behind gossiping with her friends.
Noah's Flood (Fishmongers and Mariners)
With the ark already constructed, Noah brings the animals on board and
weathers the storm.
Abraham & Isaac (Parchmentmakers)
Abraham shows his love for the Lord through his willingness to sacrifice his
beloved son, Isaac; the Lord shows His compassion by saving the boy from
death.
Exodus (Hosiers)
Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt, where the Pharoah had enslaved
them. The Pharoah here is a blustering, pompus and rather incompetent
dictator, the first in a series of loudmouthed rulers that includes Herod of
the Nativity story, a latter Herod of the Crucifixion story, and Pilate. The
hosiers would have been able to show off their wares to costume the royal
courtiers.

20. Annunciation/Visitation (Spicers)
The first play from the New Testament begins with a long speech by a a
learned man, who explains that the birth of the Son of God was foretold by
ancient prophecies. The angel Gabriel appears to Mary, announcing that
she will become pregnant and bear the Son of God. Mary tells her cousin
Eizabeth, who is also miraculously pregnant with John the Baptist.
Joseph's Trouble (Founders)
This play presents Joseph as an old man, who thinks his young fiancee has
been unfaithful to him; he suggests that it was no angel who slipped into
Mary's chamber, but rather a young lover disguised as an angel. Joseph
argues not with Mary, but with a character representing Mary's maid -- this
arrangement allows for slightly more ribald humor than a medieval
Christian audience would accept in a scene between Joseph and Mary.
Nativity (Tile-thatchers)
Joseph and Mary search for an inn in Bethlehem. The text of the play
indicates that the set depicted a stable with a thatched roof badly in need
of the services of the play's sponsors. The historical records of events such
as the York Corpus Christi play provide evidence that religious theatre was
a major public event, in which the people from all walks of life invested
huge amounts of time and money.

21. Angel/Shepherds (Chandlers [the word is related to "candle" and
"chandelier"])
An angel appears to three shepherds, and tells them that the Savior has
been born in a nearby manger. Unlike the comic and lower-class shepherds
of the widely-anthologized Wakefield Second Shepherds' Play, the
shepherds of this play are intelligent -- they understand the angels who
sing in Latin, and translate the song for the benefit of the audience. The
light of the Star of Bethlehem and the divine glow of the infant Jesus may
have been opportunities for the Chandlers to demonstarte their trade.
Magi & Herod (Goldsmiths; Masons; Minstrels [ownership changed over the
years])
King Herod attempts to use the Magi (that is, magicians or astrologers) as
spies to ascertain the whereabouts of the newborn King of the Jews, whom
he regards as a political threat.
Adoration (Goldsmiths)
This play dramatizes the events depicted on countless Christmas cards, as
well-wishers and onlookers recognize the baby Jesus as the Son of God,
and give him the appropriate honor and praise. One of the gifts of the magi
was, of course, gold.

22. Purification (Community of St. Leonard's Hospital; Masons)
Mary and Joseph present their child in the temple, in order to fulfil Jewish
ritual requirements. Simeon and Anna recognize the child as the fulfillment
of ancient prophecy.
Flight to Egypt (Marshals)
In order to protect their child from Herod, Mary and Joseph flee with the
baby to safety in Egypt.
Innocents (Girdlers)
This play represents the Slaughter of the Innocents: Herod, in his great
desire to kill the baby Jesus, slaughters all male Jewish children under two
years old.
Christ & Doctors (Spurriers and Lorimers [makers of spurs and harnesses])
This play depicts Christ as a youth, who impresses the learned men
(Doctors) with His wisdom and knowledge of scripture.
Baptism (Barbers)
Jesus begins his public ministry after being baptized by John.
Temptation (Smiths)
While Jesus is in the desert praying, Satan tries to trick Him into sins of
pride, just as he (in the form of the serpent) had successfully tricked Adam
and Eve. Jesus, however, manages to prevail.

23. Transfiguration (Curriers [leather worker])
While some of his followers look on, Jesus appears in a glorified state,
talking with Moses and Abraham. His presence with these ancient religous
leaders shows that He is the fulfillment of the promise that the Lord made
with His people.
Woman/Lazarus (Plumbers/Capmakers)
The two short stories in this play deal with a woman whom Jesus saves
from being stoned for adultery (he forgives her and tells her not to do it
again), and he raises his friend Lazarus from the dead.
Jerusalem Entry (Skinners)
Jesus is welcomed into the holy city Jerusalem, where the people celebrate
Him as the descendent of David.
Conspiracy (Cutlers)
The religious leaders conspire with Judas, one of Christ's closest followers,
to have Jesus killed. Like all homogenous societies, medieval England was
extremely suspicious of outsiders, including Jews, who were often
portrayed unfavorably. The conspirators are here identified as Jews. At the
same time, however, the leaders of the conspiracy, who confront Jesus in
the later plays, are presented as priests and bishops. Jesus is presented,
then, as a victim of a corrupt religious hierarchy -- not of the Jewish faith.

24. Last Supper (Bakers)
Because the Feast of Corpus Christi (that is, the Body of Christ) was the
occasion for the theatrical performance, this play -- in which Christ breaks
bread with his followers and tells them that the bread is his body -- would
naturally have been a high point. Given its emphasis on bread, it is also
natural that the bakers sponsored it.
Agony & Betrayal (Cordwainers [shoemakers])
Jesus, aware that His fate is to die a horrible, painful death, prays in the
Garden of Gethsemane. The betrayer, Judas, leads a mob in to arrest Him.
During the following several plays, Jesus says almost nothing; his quiet
composure contrasts with the blustering pomposity of the authority figures
who deride him.
Caiaphas/Peter (Bowers and Fletchers)
While Jesus is put on trial before the High Priest Caiaphas, Peter -- one of
Jesus's closest followers, who has pledged to remain with Christ until the
end -- weakens in his resolve. As Jesus had predicted, Peter denies
knowing Him.
Pilate 1/Wife (Tapiters [tapestrymakers])
The first trial of Jesus before Pilate, a Roman official. Pilate's wife had a
dream about Christ; she is desperate to save Him.

25. Trial by Herod (Dyers)
Herod is unable to find Jesus guilty of anything. This play includes
references to Christ wearing the color of fools; he is wearing a garment
that is white, and therefore undyed.
Pilate 2/Judas (Saucemakers)
After returning to Pilate, Jesus is put on trial again. Judas is paid for his
treachery. The Bible mentions that Judas' guts spilled out when he killed
himself; no doubt this was an occasion for impressive special effects.
Condemnation (Tilemakers)
Jesus is condemned to death by crucifixion.
Road to Calvary (Shearers)
As Jesus carries his cross to the place where he will be crucified, his
followers mourn, and others revile and attack him.
Crucifixion (Painters; also associated with the Pinners [Nailers])
The soldiers tie Christ to the cross and raise him up. The actor calls out to
all the people walking past him and instructs them to look at his wounds,
and think about how Jesus must have loved humanity, since he underwent
tremendous agony in order to save us from our sins. His speech is carefully
constructed so that it not only represents the historical Jesus speaking to
the crowds in Jerusalem, but it also addresses the crowds in York.

26. Death of Christ (Butchers)
Christ dies on the cross, and his body is laid in a tomb.
Harrowing of Hell (Saddlers)
During the time that Christ's body lies dead in the tomb, the Son of God
appears in Hell, where all souls had gone ever since the Fall of Man. Adam
and Eve are among the souls who are released and sent to Heaven.
Resurrection (Carpenters)
Christ miraculously rises from the dead.
Mary Magdalene (Winedrawers)
Christ encounters Mary Magdalene, a sinner who changed her ways when
she met Christ. As she struggles to come to terms with the apparent
failure of Christ's ministry, Christ himself appears to her.
Road to Emmaus (Wool-packers)
Two of Christ's followers meet a stranger on the road; they tell the
stranger all about the events of Christ's death. The stranger turns out to
be Christ himself.
Doubting Thomas (Scriveners)
Christ appears to a group of his followers. Thomas, who was absent from
the group, does not believe them. Christ later appears to Thomas, telling
him that the truly blessed are those who believe without seeing.

27. Ascension (Tailors)
Christ's resurrected body rises to Heaven.
Pentecost (Potters)
Christ's followers, once again struggling to come to terms with Christ's
departure, receive the gift of inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and begin
preaching and teaching with zeal.
Death of Mary (Drapers)
Many years later, Mary dies. Her closest friends are miraculously
transported to her bedside which is depicted with lavish tapestries and
drapery. Mary seems to die in the next two plays as well--evidence which
suggest that each play need not have been produced each year.
Assumption (Woollenweavers)
When Mary dies, her soul is taken up into Heaven.
Coronation (Mayor; Innholders)
When Mary's soul is taken up into Heaven, she reunites with her son Jesus,
and is crowned Queen of Heaven. The innholders benefitted considerably
from the tourism that the York play drew to the city, and likely produced a
lavish heavenly throne to receive the Mother of God.

28. Judgement (Mercers [Merchants])
The big finish, also called Doomsday. At the end of the world, the Son of
God returns in order to divide all souls into the good and the bad. The bad
souls -- the ones who did not feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and
comfort the oppressed -- are tormented by demons and taken into hell.
The good souls enter paradise with the angels, saints, and apostles. Music,
special effects such as fire and brimstone, and the antics of costumed
devils would likely have made this production a grand finale.

29. ENGLISH (MOBILE)
STAGING OF
CYCLE PLAYS

30. How did a cycle work?
This image from John Speed's map of Yorkshire, England
shows the walled city of York, the site of the brilliant annual
spectacle known to its medieval performers and spectators as
the “Corpus Christi Play.” Dozens of short plays, mounted on
pageant wagons, began with a performance at the Trinity
Priory and moved through the city streets, stopping at pre-
arranged performance locations known as stations.
The Corpus Christi Play was an annual outdoor event, involving
hundreds of actors; it was already a long-established tradition
by the end of the 14th century, and continued until suppressed
by the Protestant Reformation in the late 16th century.

32. The York Mystery Plays are a
magnificent example of medieval
drama.
Using the colourful language of
medieval Yorkshire, they present the
'history of the world': from the mystery
of God's creation of the world to the
birth, death, and resurrection of Christ.
They were performed from the
fourteenth to the sixteenth century, as
part of the annual celebrations of the
feast of Corpus Christi, and have now
been revived - to much acclaim - in
twentieth-century York .

36. Middle English
pageant wagon.
Scene of Christ
before Pilate.
From Sharp, A
Dissertation
on the Pageants...
(1825)

38. A reconstruction of a pageant wagon.
From Wickham, Early English Stages

39. Triumph of Isabella (1615)

41. THE FALL OF MAN
Based on the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis.
Satan as a tempting serpent is not biblical, but rather part of the exegetical
tradition developed by the Church Fathers.
This makes the Fall of Man a direct result of the Fall of the Angels.
Adam and Eve are disobedient and guilty of the sin of pride just as Lucifer
was.
The tree from which Eve plucks the fruit prefigures the cross.
"Eve's role as sinful woman point forward to Mary's role as the mother of
God".
The argument between Adam and Eve, the first marital discord,
foreshadows "the discord which is thematically associated with evil
throughout the cycle".
Depicts Satan as full of envy and wrath (as well as pride)--two more of the 7
deadly sins (pride, envy, wrath, greed, lechery, sloth, gluttony).

42. The Fall of Man (Toronto 1998)
God casts Adam and Eve out of the Garden

43. The Fall of Man (Toronto 1998)
Lucifer tempts Eve

44. FRENCH/CONTINENTAL
(FIXED) STAGING OF
CYCLE PLAYS

45. Plan of the Lucerne Passion Play,
2nd day, by Renward Cysat, 1583.
From Leibing, Die inscenirung
des zweitatigen Luzernes... (1869)

46. Stage used in the Valenciennes
Passion Play, 1547. BNF, Paris

47. Valennciences Passion Play 1547

48. Hell Mouth

49. Hell
Mouth

50. The Last Judgment (1988)

51. MORALITIES
(Everyman)

52. Everyman

53. Everyman

54. Everyman (1916)

55. Plan of the
staging for
The
Castle of
Perseverance,
c.1425.

56. Marytrdom
of Saint
Appolonia

57. http://infoseek.go.com/?win=_search&sv=M6&lk=noframes
&nh=10&ud9=IE5&qt=oberammergau&oq=&url=http%3A//
www.oberammergau.de/&ti=Oberammergau+Online&top=
Oberammergau Passion Play
(Germany)
Lots of information and pictures at:

58. The Oberammergau
Passion Play depicts the
last five days in the life of
Jesus Christ, portraying the
scenes from His entry into
Jerusalem until the
Resurrection.
At Pentecost, 1634, the
citizens of Oberammergau
first kept their promise to
portray the Passion
Tragedy every ten years.
They first put up their
stage above the fresh
graves of the plague
victims in the local
cemetery.

59. Performance Schedule 5 performances per week
Running Time (of Performance) app. 6 hours
Total Participants app. 2,155 (as of March 2000)
Total Number of Actors 1,855
Other Participants (e.g. set decorators, technicians,
paramedics, fire department, cleaning personnel, ushers)
app. 300
Oldest Participant Karl Eitzenberger (born 1907), who will
celebrate his 90th birthday in July, participates in the large
crowd scenes.
Youngest PerformerRaphaela Huber, 6 years old, participates
in the large crowd scenes.
Largest Group Scenes "Indignation” 750 participants,
"Crucifixion” 400 participants simultaneously on stage.

60. Interior of New Theatre at Oberammergau

61. Pierre Pathelin
(1490)

62. Rhetoric Stage,
Antwerp 1561.