United Through Drama

I was really unsure what to expect from watching the York Mystery Play Highlights.  For those who don't know, The York Mystery Plays are a retelling of Bible stories put on by guild members (aka people from the town who specialize in a trade) of York England.  The version that my class watched is from 1998, and it was the first time in hundreds of years that the city of York participated.  It was very interesting to watch the city unite through many different aspects of the Mystery Plays.

York, England

 There were several things that really contributed to my enjoyment of the Mystery Plays.  I think the first thing that really stuck out to me had to be the wonderful rolling sets and backdrops that were used.  At the beginning of the movie clip, we were informed that some of the players only used tools and processes that were available to those who lived in York in the 1500s, and I feel like that united modern players and medieval players. Additionally, most of the sets had little moving parts that really contributed to the story that was being told.

York Mystery Plays, 2002

The second thing that I noticed was the audience's interaction with the players.  Surprisingly, many of the scenes were a bit humorous; it was unexpected, but I rather enjoyed it.  The audience also appreciated the humor and laughed along.  I also really noticed audience/player interaction when a guild retold the story of Christ's crucifixion.  Rather than be confined to the limits of the rolling set, the players in that story wandered out into the audience and really engaged the people watching.  I enjoyed watching the players and audience members unite in that fashion.

I thought that the Bible stories were very well told.  One of the biggest surprises to me was to see Satan, in the Adam and Eve scene, cast as a woman.  I don't think that necessarily detracted from the meaning of the play as a whole, but it sure was an interesting surprise!  Whether intended or not, I feel as if that casting choice was a very modern twist on an ancient story.  It is always interesting to see the unification of old and new.

Female actor portraying Satan, 1998