DAVID WRIGHT
PHOTOGRAPHY
THE YORK MYSTERY PLAYS
THE CREATION
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On the first day God created light in the darkness
Operating the props behind the scene
Moving on to another street
THE GARDEN OF EDEN
Eve tempts Adam
The people watch as Adam falls
Noah and the flood
God appears to Noah and tells him he is displeased with the world
Eventually the ark is built just as the rains are coming
Noah's wife objects to boarding the ark
The rain falls and the land floods
Noah searches the sky for a break in the storm
The dove is a sign that the rains are stopping. Noah and his family are saved
Musicians lead the troupe off to their next location in the town
The Nativity
Mummers waiting for their cart to be pulled into position
The two-sided cart
Behind the scenes
Hearing of Herod's threat to kill all newly born male babies
The Last Supper
The three bakers of the Guild of Bakers
supporting the Last Supper troupe
Jesus breaks bread with his disciples
...and explains that this is his body and blood that is shed for them
Judas takes his leave to betray Jesus
The bakers drag the cart to the next location
The Crucifixion
Jesus is nailed to the cross
They raise the cross into position
A boy looks on in dismay
A soldier prepares to pierce his side
The body of Jesus is brought down from the cross
Doomsday
The End
This series is about one of our ancient traditions that has sadly gone into a bit of decline as we as a nation desert our religious beliefs. However, it is still being kept alive by the faithful in some towns in the north of England. My series was made on one of those rare occasions where the plays were performed in York at Corpus Christi (the Body of Christ) in June 2022.
The earliest form of the plays appears in the 5th century as tableaux in churches. In Medieval times they became more popular and dialogue was added. During this period they began to be performed by travelling theatres. Bible stories usually written by monks. These stories were turned into the plays and performed as sets or cycles. Eventually, they moved from churches to churchyards and then market places. Dialogue in Latin but lines spoken by Heralds in English
In 1210 Pope Innocent 111 issued a Papal edict banning clergy from performing Miracle Plays. This resulted in the plays being taken over by the craft guilds. The Latin disappeared and some non-Bible parts were added. Each guild would take control of a play and often it would be by association, e.g. The Last Supper was the responsibility of the Guild of Bakers, The Crucifixion by the The Guild of Butchers. It was here that the term ministerium which means craft came into use as they came to be performed by the craft guilds. The plays were banned during the Reformation of 1554 and disappeared for a while.
Each craft guild has a cart from which, a play is performed. At the end of the play, the cart is dragged to another location on the streets of York. Props are employed to provide greater audience understanding and involvement. The props are all manual and basic giving it an authentic Medieval feel.
There were eight plays, each one presented by a different craft guild of York. They guarded their scripts, letting only the performers see them for the duration of the rehearsals and performances. Sometimes the carts doubled as stages. We were witnessing something here that is part of our heritage and a tradition of over 800 years old. The plays have stood the test of time, keeping audiences enthralled. The stories are full of intrigue, action, emotion and suspense. In some cases they have been updated to reflect the modern world.
