Cygnus Ensemble

Mystery Play: A Definition

Mystery plays were the only way for normal people to hear a take on the history of the world in Medieval England. Mystery plays were performed around the time of church festivals, reaching their height in Europe during the 15th and 16th Centuries. A whole cycle running from the Creation to the Last Judgement was performed in separate scenes on mobile wagons by various town guilds. Four English cycles survive: Coventry, Wakefield (or Townley), Chester and York. They were intended for the common person. In many cases, it was the only way people could hear the stories of the Bible in their common tongue, rather than in Latin. These plays had a great influence on subsequent English drama, including Elizabethan drama.

 

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