Medieval Theatre

History of Theatre 900-1500 AD

Modern Perspective
International in scope and religious in nature Began as a springtime religious observance Celebrated common mythos- the Old and New Testaments of the Bible

The York Cycle

Actors would get in costume and hop on wagons Crowds were gather in the streets to watch them pass The wagons would often have two levels to portray heaven and hell

The Procession
The wagons paraded through town, stopping before the homes of dignitaries Each wagon is responsible for the telling of a biblical tale This took place every year on Corpus Christi Day Began with The Creation and Fall of Lucifer Ended with The Judgment Day

Corpus Christi Day

A feast day that celebrates The Last Supper Primarily came about from a nun named Juliana of Liege actual date of Corpus Christi changes each year

Conditions of Performance
It was a religious theatre, therefore its bookings, costumes, dialogue and staging came from the Church calendar

Background
After the fall of Rome, and before the renaissance, the time is called Middle Ages. A very active time as cathedrals were built, the crusades occurred, and kingdoms were divided and conquered The foundations for modern languages were laid during this time

Background continued
The Church was extremely opposed to any other type of theatre due to the mimes. They still did exist though. The Church developed its own dramatic ceremonies to combat the appeal of pagan rights Pagans believed in multiple gods. (i.e.. The Ancient Greeks)

Religious and Civic Purposes

The Church felt dramatized episodes made moral lessons more graphic and easier to understand. The Church calendar provided several holidays to develop theatre Drama remained inside the Church Walls for 200 years The first ever play was called Quen Quaeritis

Quem Quaritis
3 women looking to dress the corpse of Christ Find out from an angel that Christ has risen Shows grief turning into joy

Management
Some major changes began to take place by 1400 Short religious plays were put together to make longer plays Were staged during Spring and Summer Everyday language replaced Latin Regular people replaced clergy as the actors and producers

Festival Theatre
The church still had to approve Between 1350-1500 Medieval theatre flourished Clergy began to reduce its participation Towns began to finance and produce the festivals Producers oversaw everything, they got choirs, nobles loaned costumes, meals were prepared and lodging was provided. Laborers built the staging. Basically the whole community helped

Playwriting
Anonymous Clergy wrote the four-line playlets Later the dialogue was expanded As it became more elaborate, more playwrights were recruited This opened the door for professional playwrights

Acting and Rehearsing

Rehearsals took place over months Held between dawn and beginning of the work day Actors were fined for lateness, not knowing lines or being drunk Multiple playlets were rehearsed at the same time

Actors
Some received fees At first it was to reimburse the actors Late 1600s began to see professional actors Very few women performed in medieval plays Only exceptions were for female Saints There were two reasons: male hierarchy and trained choir boys had better projection

Visual Elements

Staging
Were performed on fixed or movable stages The fixed stage was usually against buildings on one side of town square, or in an amphitheatre The movable stages were wagons Usually broken into three parts from left to right Hell, Earth, and Heaven Nothing was depicted in its entirety. Very little illusion of a real place.

Special Effects
Producers gave great attention to secrets Examples included Hell issuing fire, smoke and cries of the damned, trapdoors, pulleys and ropes. Due to this we began to see semiprofessionals begin to develop for scenery and special effects

Costumes and Props

Two types of garments: ecclesiastical robes and everyday clothes Accessories such as wings were added Props were used to identify characters i.e. sword, mirror, snakes etc..) Heaven reps dressed to awe Hell reps dressed to scar Common humans dressed according to rank Great detail went into designing the devil

Music
Music was prevalent in medieval theatre Heavenly scenes featured beautiful choruses Trumpets announced god Vocal and Instrumental music bridged intermission. Singing was down by choirboys and actors Instruments were played by professionals

Popular Entertainments

Mummings
Masquerade balls Related to drama due to disguise, processions and need for a spokesperson In time it included music, song, dance, scenery, and texts. Usually a mumming play would end with the collection of money to pay for refreshments and local charities

Street Pageants
When dignitaries would come to town they would set up stages all along the street Clerks and children would then address them with songs and speeches This provided a sense of civic pride

The Audience
Spectators came from surrounding towns and countryside all classes came Posters were put up on city gates and invitations were sent out to neighboring towns A trumpeter rode through town announcing the events Work was forbidden during performance time Most were free, however in some of Europe there was a fee