Medieval Theatre

English Medieval Mystery Theatre

The End Of The Medieval Theater Era

Staging

Origin: Catholic Church

Time Period- Roughly 13th to 16th century

Influence on English Renaissance Drama and French Farce

https://chestermysteryplays.com/history/moreHistory/

https://theatricaleffectsandstaging.wordpress.com/medieval-theatre-staging/

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1200,_English_-_038_-_Costumes_of_All_Nations_(1882).JPG

• In France, secular medieval theatre plays called the “farce" were popular and originated from the "interludes" in Mystery and Morality plays.
• These were presented to relieve boredom during the show and nothing more nor less than slapstick farces known more for their vulgarity than their humor.
• The most famous of these farces of the Middle Ages is the French Farce of Pierre Pathelin ("Old English Literature").

• Medieval tradition of the mystery and morality plays formed certain stage traditions which largely controlled the great drama of the Elizabethan period.
• The mingling of comedy with even the intensest scenes of tragedy (Luminarium).
• The presentation of women's parts by men and boys (Dawkins).
• Medieval cycle plays were even later seen lovingly memorialized by Shakespeare's 'mechanicals' in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Studymode Renaissance).

Medieval Theater: 3 types

Actors

link:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mittelalterliches_Ständebild_15._Jahrhundert.png

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ChesterMysteryPlay_300dpi.jpg

• Morality plays known as moral educational stories, often of common man’s struggle for salvation (Trumbell, 2007).
• Miracle plays which cover the lives of saints, historical and legendary (Trumbell, 2007).
• Mystery plays which are about Christ or from the Old Testament-usually performed in cycles (Trumbell, 2007).

• Not much is known about acting techniques from Medieval theater due to illiterate amateur actors and few playwrights.
• Actors were often overconfident, loud and swaggering to enhance the audience's experience.
• Much of the acting was melodramatic.
• Good was rewarded, while evil punished. God and his plan were the driving forces, not the characters.
• These plays also held an odd mixture of comic and serious tones.

(Trumbell, 2007)

Guilds

Convention

Latin

Christian Story

Convention Intro

York, Chester, Coventry, and Wakefield

For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,

with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. ("New Mass Translation")

• The Fall of Lucifer
• The Creation of the World and the Fall of Adam
• Noah and the Flood
• Abraham and Isaac and the promise of Christ's coming
• A Procession of the Prophets
• The main events of the Gospel story
• The Day of Judgment.(Dawkins)

• As an amateur actress myself, I have used this opportunity to immerse myself into another time and culture.
• To accomplish this, I have practiced the medieval theater convention of voice. In many mystery plays, including the The Second Shepherds’ Play, singing is incorporated throughout the performance.
• The music was taken from the church choir and the language of the church was Latin.
• I have chosen the angel’s appearance scene and it begins with the angel singing “Gloria In Excelsis Deo”. I have rehearsed the last few lines of the song in Latin to begin the scene.

Moment from "The Second Shepherd's Play" written by The Wakefield Master

1:55

mythicscribes.com/history/craft-guilds/.

www.medievalists.net/2011/02/the-middle-ages-on-the-block-animals-guilds-and-meat-in-the-medieval-period/.

ridesgatt.hatenablog.com/entry/2017/05/17/123657.

Works Cited

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which-led-to-modern-era-page1.html.

“The Art Of The Medieval Play.” WTHistory, 26 Sept. 2016, ctlsites.uga.edu/whatthehistory/the-art-of-the-medieval-play/.

Dawkins. History of English Literature. www.iiit.net/~bipin/files/Dawkins/Ethics/History of English Literature.pdf. Accessed 12

May 2019.

Desbackhalde. “Play the Mystery of the Dragon Prince Walkthrough.” Desbackhalde's Diary, 17 May 2017,

ridesgatt.hatenablog.com/entry/2017/05/17/123657.

Fletcher, Robert Huntington. History of English Literature for Students. Rarebooksclub Com, 2012, http://

www.theatredatabase.com/medieval/medieval_drama_001.html.

G, Ivan. “Everyman: Morality Play The Morality Play.” GradeSaver, www.gradesaver.com/everyman-and-other-miracle-and-morality-

plays/study-guide/the-morality-play.

Gee, David. “Chester Mystery Play.” Wikimedia Commons, 23 July 2005, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/

File:ChesterMysteryPlay_300dpi.jpg.

Knox, Ellis L. “History for Fantasy Writers: Craft Guilds.” Mythic Scribes, 14 Dec. 2017, mythicscribes.com/history/craft-guilds/.

Kretschmer, Albert. “1200 English Costumes of All Nations.” Wikimedia Commons, 20 Oct. 2010, https://commons.wikimedia.org/

wiki/File:1200,_English_-_038_-_Costumes_of_All_Nations_(1882).JPG.

Longfield, Andrew, and Chester. “More History.” Chester Mystery Plays, chestermysteryplays.com/history/moreHistory/.

“Mittelalterliches Ständebild 15. Jahrhundert.” Wikimedia Commons, 4 Oct. 2009, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/

File:Mittelalterliches_Ständebild_15._Jahrhundert.png.

“Medieval Drama: An Introduction. Folk Plays, Mystery Plays, Morality Plays, Interludes. [Middle English Drama, Theatre, Stage].”

Luminarium, www.luminarium.org/medlit/medievaldrama.htm.

“Medieval Drama and the Mystery Plays.” The British Library, The British Library, 17 Jan. 2018, www.bl.uk/medieval-literature/

articles/medieval-drama-and-the-mystery-plays.

“Medieval Theatre.” Medieval Theatre, Medieval Chronicles, 2014, www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-life/medieval-theatre-

images/.Medievalists.net.

“The Middle Ages on the Block: Animals, Guilds and Meat in the Medieval Period.” Medievalists.net, 25 Feb. 2015,

www.medievalists.net/2011/02/the-middle-ages-on-the-block-animals-guilds-and-meat-in-the-medieval-period/.

“A Midsummer Night's Dream Bantam Classics.” Nighthawk Press, nighthawkpress.com/library/a-midsummer-nights-dream-

bantam-classics.

“New Mass Translation.” Face Forward, faceforwardcolumbusblog.com/about-face-forwar/new-mass-translation/.

“Old English Literature.” Rincon Del Vago, html.rincondelvago.com/literatura-inglesa_1.html?url=literatura-inglesa_1.

“Renaissance: Impact on English Literature Essay - 1732 Words.” StudyMode, www.studymode.com/essays/Renaissance-Impact-

On-English-Literature-1383629.html.

“Staging: Medieval Theatre.” Theatrical Effects and Staging, 3 May 2016, theatricaleffectsandstaging.wordpress.com/medieval-

theatre-staging/.

Stevens, Martin. “Illusion and Reality in the Medieval Drama.” College English, vol. 32, no. 4, 1971, p. 448., doi:10.2307/374392.

Symes, Carol. “The History of Medieval Theatre / Theatre of Medieval History: Dramatic Documents and the Performance of the

Past.” History Compass, vol. 7, no. 3, 2009, pp. 1032–1048., doi:10.1111/j.1478-0542.2009.00613.x.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Mystery Play.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 30 Apr. 2018,

www.britannica.com/art/mystery-play.

Trumbull, Eric W. “Medieval Theatre.” Introduction to Theatre, 16 Nov. 2007, novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/spd130et/medieval.htm.