Mystery Plays - 2006

The Passion Plays of England are some of the oldest pieces of English literature. They were performed on the streets of our medieval cities on the church Feast Day of Corpus Christi, around midsummer. The first recorded performance was in 1376. Performances continued every year for 200 years until suppressed by the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.

The best preserved of these religious pageant performances are those of York which were staged by members of the City Guilds and performed on carts or wagons drawn through the streets. Each craft guild or 'mysterie' would perform its own play as part of an agreed cycle which would take a full day to view at various stations throughout the City. Since 1992 there have been performances of the Plays in the streets of York, both on wagons and as ‘processional’ plays.

The Guilds of York staged the latest quadrennial performance of the Mystery Plays in on Sunday 9th and 16th July 2006 in the city centre. Launched to coincide with Easter, the 2006 Mystery Plays included a graphic scene of the Crucifixion plus the recreation of twelve of the plays to be staged at four sites around the City and following medieval procedures, the stage sets are built onto wagons. The wagons are pushed through the streets, stopping at several places.

2006 focused on education, experience and the opportunity for ordinary people to become involved with experienced actors to recreate these medieval ‘mysteries’. Without question, the Mystery Plays are integral to the culture and of historic significance in the City of York. The plays benefit the residents of the City and visitors alike with their drama and costume, plus the bringing together of people from many walks of life in their planning and production. The Plays presented in this traditional manner have received considerable acclaim from overseas.

The Plays in the 2006 production were:

1) The Fall of the Angels

2) The Creation of the World

3) The Creation and Fall of Man

4) Herod and The Magi

5) Christ and The Doctors

6) The Temptation

7) The Entry into Jerusalem

8) The Crucifixion

9) The Harrowing of Hell

10) The Resurrection and meeting with Mary Magdalene

11) Pentecost

12) The Last Judgement

The next quadrennial performance of the Mystery Plays will be produced in 2010.

For more information, please contact: John Gallery Tel: 07967 032623. Fax: 01904 607432 Email: johngallery@greatpotential.co.uk Website: www.yorkmysteryplays.org