The York Mystery Plays dates back as far as the 14th century, although no one can say for sure when the very first pageants were performed. For the first couple of hundred years, the Craft Guilds staged these 48 different plays as part of the Corpus Christi celebrations, and most recently it is the York Festival Trust which have taken on the role as organisers.
History of The York Mystery Plays
The York Corpus Christi Plays, also known as the York Mystery Plays consist of 48 mystery plays, originally performed in Middle English. The plays cover sacred, biblical history running from the divine Creation to the Last Judgement.
There is no definitive record of the first pageant performing all 48 plays, but York was celebrating Corpus Christi as early as 1376. By this time, pageant wagons were already in popular use, and it is not hard to imagine that the Mystery Plays could already at this point have been part of the celebrations.
From the induction of the plays until their suppression in 1569, the York Mystery Plays were in the hands of the York Craft Guilds. The tradition was that each Guild would take on the cost, organisation and performance of one play. The plays were set up in pageant wagons, which were taken through the streets of York, with 12 different performance locations en route.
While mystery play cycles were popular in Middle English times, few have survived into modern day. Only three other mystery cycles have survived in their relatively complete form, making the York Mystery Plays unique indeed. Intact manuscripts from 1463 and 1477 are kept at the British Library, meaning modern productions have solid historical sources for the production of today’s plays.
The plays were wildly popular until their suppression in the late 16th century, which happened due to reformation and the abolishment of the festival of Corpus Christi in Britain.
Editions
Early editions of the York Mystery Plays cycle included 48 different plays, one for each of the Craft Guilds. As mentioned, intact manuscripts from the 15th century still exist, and in its time these led first Lucy Toulmin Smith in 1885, and then Richard Beadle in 1982, to publish unaltered versions of the Middle English text. Beadle included in his publication a glossary, along with his own notes on the text.
The Original Plays
The original cycle uses several different verse forms. Rhymes and alliteration are common, as is the use of short lines in a regular rhythm. The author or authors of the plays are unknown, but scholars often agree that they were most likely authored by a group of clerics. One of these clerics have been referred to as the “York Realist”.
The Realist is often attributed a group of eight plays, revolving around the Passion of Christ, from Conspiracy to Burial. These plays resemble each other in the use of high-quality alliterative verse, written in a vigorous fashion. What sets them apart from many of the other plays in the original cycle, is their attention to detail both in plot and in character development.
Revival by the York Historic Pageant and the York Festival of the Arts
With reformation and the abolishment of the Corpus Christi festival, the York Mystery Plays may have disappeared if it wasn’t for Lucy Toulmin Smith’s efforts in the late 19th century. She made the plays available for modern productions, and already in 1909, the York Historic Pageant put on a production of six of the plays.
In 1951, a much larger production was undertaken by the York Festival of the Arts. The text was both modernised and abbreviated to make it more understandable for a modern audience, and the performance ran on a stage erected in the ruins of St. Mary’s Abbey. The production was an unmarked success, and led to select plays being staged at St. Mary’s in three-to-four-year intervals until 1988.
Current Plays by the York Festival Trust and the Modern Waggon Plays
Since 1998, the York Festival Trust has organised the Mystery Plays every fourth year in the streets of York. The Trust stages the plays on behalf of York’s historic Guilds, and these are currently the only large scale productions of the Mystery Plays happening on a regular schedule.
The scripts of the plays are still being adapted and modernised, and each performance showcases both professional actors and passionate amateurs. Hundreds of volunteers and actors come together to make these plays a reality, as well as a number of inspiring directors, writers and composers.
As the original plays were performed as waggon plays, some modern productions have sought to reproduce this. First attempted as an experimental production in 1975, a more professional performance was put together in 1994. In 1998, eleven plays were featured, and these set the stage for the current four-year cycle.
Most of the modern productions of the York Mystery Plays use modernised language, both in phrasing and pronunciation, and this is the norm also for the plays staged by the York Festival Trust. However, interest in the original Middle English language is re-emerging, and so productions using authentic Middle English have been contributing to the last years of Mystery Plays.
The Plays
While the York Mystery Plays originally consisted of 48 different plays, most modern productions choose a selection of these for their performances. In 2018, the York Festival Trust created a series of 11 plays to tell the biblical story from Creation to the Last Judgement. In this production, the plays are represented in pairs, with one story hailing from the Old Testament, while the other is from the New Testament.
The 11 plays begin with Creation, where the story of how God created the Earth is paired with Mary’s visit from the archangel Gabriel. These are two separate tales of new beginnings, new life and the uncertainties they bring.
After creation comes Temptation, where the temptation of Adam and Eve is seen in relation to the temptation that was offered Jesus. One story shows us what happens when temptation is indulged, and the other shows us what happens when temptation is resisted.
The plays move on to Betrayal. Not surprisingly, these plays have found their inspiration in Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, and in Cain’s betrayal of Abel. The plays consider remorse, conscience and consequences of choices made.
In Sacrifice, the plays show us the willingness and sorrow of fathers sacrificing their sons up for the will of God and the greater good. First, Abraham is asked by God to give up his only son. In the second play, it is God making the sacrifice, giving up his own son to save the human race.
Sacrifice gives way to Liberation, where we first see Moses leading a people of slaves away from a life in torture under the yokes of the Egyptian pharaoh. Next, Christ stands up against the temptations from Satan, again freeing the people who follow him.
This series of plays ends with The Last Judgement. This is how the story ends, and this is how the bible ends. All souls must stand up and be counted, and stand to consequence for every act of kindness and cruelty in the course of their life.
The Plays at Casino Sites
Theatre-Inspired Casino Games
While casino has long been a protagonist of the figurative arts (notably cinema and photography) it has no doubt struggled to be adopted on a vast scale by theatre and opera. There are a few exception of course, such as the beautiful opera-themed Opera House Casino in Scarborough. The harmoniously built structure (which is reminiscent of XVII-century central Europe baroque architecture) hosts a proper land-based casino with a vast assortment of games, as well as a regular-sized opera stage!
And it does not end here. The crossover exepriments between theatre and casino has spawned a whole generation of innovative games. One title stands above all, the world-renown Imperial Opera by casino gaming behemoth Play N’ Go. The alternatives – such as Merkur Gaming’ Theater Of Rome – are not quite as exciting and, more importantly, do not offer the same kind of luscious prizes. Let’s hope that in a near future we will see more theatre-themed casino games!
Every four years
The production of the York Mystery Plays is currently staged every four years. The performances will naturally change from year to year, as will the production in terms of music, sets and actors. Whether you have experienced the plays before or not, they are worth taking the time experiencing.