MEDIEVAL THEATRE

LITURGICAL DRAMA

• DUE TO CHURCH BEING A MAJOR PRESENCE IN SOCIETY.

• MOST DRAMA WAS PRESENTED IN THE SANCTUARIES OF CHURCHES AND CATHEDRALS.

• BUT HOW? DOESN’T THE CHURCH OPPOSE THEATRE AT THIS TIME?

• LIKE GREEK THEATRE, ROMAN CATHOLICS HAD RELIGIOUS RITUALS WITH THEATRICAL ELEMENTS.

LITURGICAL DRAMA CONTINUED

• ADDED LONG MUSICAL PASSAGES, CALLED TROPES.

• LYRICS WRITTEN IN LATIN ONLY

• PRESENTED BY MEMBERS OF CLERGY WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF CHOIRBOYS.

• HAD TWO SPATIAL ELEMENTS TO STAGING.

• PLATEA – CENTRAL, OPEN SPACE.

• MANSION- SCENIC STRUCTURE DEPICTING SOME LOCALE NEEDED FOR A BIBLICAL STORY.

• DUE TO LITURGICAL PLAYS BEING ONLY IN LATIN NO EVERYDAY PERSON COULD UNDERSTAND.

• BRINGING ABOUT….

RELIGIOUS VERNACULAR DRAMA

• DEBATE OVER WHEN RELIGIOUS VERNACULAR DRAMA ORIGINATED.

• MOVED FROM INSIDE CHURCH TO OUTSIDE

• REASONS BEING:

• PLAYS BECAME TOO ELABORATE TO STAGE IN CHURCHES

• COST BECAME BURDENSOME FOR THE CHURCH.

• CHURCH OFFICIALS BECAME OPPOSED TO USING HOLY SPACES FOR THEATRE

• DIVIDED INTO TWO DIFFERENT CATEGORIES

• MYSTERY PLAYS

• CYCLE PLAYS

MYSTERY PLAYS

• TERM MYSTERY COMES FROM WORD MINISTERIUM

• MEANING RELIGIOUS SERVICE

• MYSTERY PLAYS DRAMATIZED A SERIES OF BIBLICAL EVENTS

• FROM CREATION TO THE END OF DAYS.

CYCLE PLAYS

• DRAMATIZED OTHER STORIES CONNECT TO BIBLICAL FIGURES, THE LIVES OF SAINTS AND CONTEMPORARY CHURCH DOCTRINES.

• PRESENTED IN “SEQUENCE” OR CYCLES

• HOW THE NAME ORGINATED

• VERNACULAR PLAYS WERE MOSTLY PRESENTED IN SUMMER OR SPRING

• DUE TO BEST WEATHER

CYCLE PLAYS CONTINUED.

• FAVORITE EVENT FOR CYCLE PLAYS WAS THE FEAST OF CORPUS CHRIST

• WHICH WAS CREATED TO REMIND THE PEOPLE OF THE LAST SUPPER OF JESUS.

• CYCLE PLAYS WERE ALSO PRESENTED AT OTHER TIMES IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER FESTIVALS.

• CYCLE PLAYS WERE MEANT TO APPEAL TO LARGE CROWDS AND POPULAR TASTES.

• PLAYS WERE OFTEN SET IN BIBLICAL TIMES, BUT THE CHARACTERS WERE MEDIEVAL TYPES.

• EXAMPLE: ABRAHAM AS AN ENGLISH SERF

• THIS DISPLACEMENT IS CALLED ANACHRONISM

• COMEDY WAS ALSO INTRODUCED TO MAKE CYCLE PLAYS MORE APPEALING.

• EXAMPLE: NOAH’S WIFE WAS A NAG.

PRODUCING THE CYCLE PLAYS

• PRODUCED BY RELIGIOUS GUILDS OR CLUBS CALLED CONFRATERNITIES

• EACH BASED OFF OF THEIR ACTUAL JOBS

• EXAMPLE: CARPENTERS BUILD THE SETS.

• PRODUCED ONCE EVERY 2 TO 10 YEARS

• SOME WERE VERY ELABORATE

• PERFORMANCES BEGAN EARLY IN THE DAY AND CONTINUED UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON.

• DEPENDING ON LOCALE, WENT ON FOR 2 OR 3 DAYS.

• MANY MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WERE INVOLVED.

ACTORS FOR CYCLE PLAYS

• WERE AMATEURS

• CUSTOMS REGARDING WOMEN PERFORMERS VARIED FROM PLACE TO PLACE

• FRANCE WOULD ALLOW THEM

• ENGLAND WOULD NOT!

• OFTEN ACTORS PLAYED SEVERAL DIFFERENT ROLES

• REHEARSAL TIME WAS MINIMAL

• FINANCIALLY BURDENSOME FOR THE ACTORS, BUT IT WAS A RELIGIOUS DUTY

COSTUMES OF CYCLE PLAYS

• ACTORS PROVIDED THEIR OWN COSTUMES

• ACTORS WOULD BE ASSISTED IF NEED UNUSUAL COSTUMES

• EXAMPLE: GOD WAS USUALLY DRESSED AS THE POPE.

• THE MODERN MEDIEVAL COSTUMING KEPT WITH THE ANACHRONISTIC THEME.

• SUPERNATURAL BEGINS MAY HAVE WORN MASKS

PAGEANT MASTERS

• THE PERSON WHO SUPERVISED THE MOUNTING OF PLAYS ON WAGONS

• MIGHT INCLUDE ADVANCE PREPARATIONS AS WELL

• INCLUDING REHEARSALS

• SEEING THE PLAYS UNFOLDED ON SCHEDULE

• DID NOT PERFORM THE SAME DUTIES AS MODERN DAY DIRECTORS

• MORE LIKE STAGE MANAGERS.

STAGES OF CYCLE PLAYS

• TWO DIFFERENT STYLES OF STAGING FOR CYCLE PLAYS

• PROCESSIONAL

• STATIONARY

PROCESSIONAL STAGING

• AUDIENCES WOULD ASSEMBLE IN VARIOUS PLACES AND THE CYCLE PLAY WOULD BE SET UP ON A WAGON THAT MOVED FROM PLACE TO PLACE

STATIONARY STAGING

• A SERIES OF SMALL SCENIC MANSIONS STOOD SIDE BY SIDE ON A HUGE PLATFORM STAGE

• USUALLY OUTDOORS

THE SECOND SHEPARDS’ DAY

• CIRCA 1375

• DRAMATIZES THE BIBLICAL STORY OF THE SHEPHERDS WHO WERE TOLD BY THE ANGEL OF JESUS’ BIRTH

• WRITTEN IN THE VERNACULAR

• FILLED WITH ANACHRONISM

MORALITY PLAYS

• ATTEMPTS TO TEACH A MORAL LESSON THROUGH ALLEGORICAL CHARACTERS

• MEANING PEOPLE REPRESENT IDEAS

• EXAMPLE: ONE CHARACTER IS CHARITY, ANOTHER INTEGRITY, ANOTHER GREED

• DEBATES OVER MORALITY PLAYS BEING RELIGIOUS OR SECULAR

• CHARACTERS WERE ORDINARY PEOPLE INSTEAD OF SAINTS OR BIBLICAL FIGURES

• THE BASIS OF MORALITY DRAMAS IS THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN TWO FORCES, ONE GOOD AND THE OTHER EVIL, FOR THE SOUL OF THE MAIN CHARACTER

• EXAMPLE: GOD & SATAN

THE DECLINE OF RELIGIOUS THEATRE

• ROMAN CATHOLICS WITHDREW SUPPORT DUE TO RELIGIOUS DRAMA “WEAKENING” THE CHURCH.

• OUTLAWED RELIGIOUS DRAMA IN FRANCE.

• SECULAR QUALITIES OVERWHELMED RELIGIOUS MATERIAL.