900-1500 AD

• After the fall of the Roman Empire,

nomadic groups toured countries
and regions to tell stories and
jests, play music or perform
acrobatic acts. Festivals emerged
wherever they went.
• However, despite the fun and
excitement they brought to towns
and cities, religious practitioners
were antagonistic towards these
travelling entertainers.
The influential Catholic Church
attempted to convert them and
put a stop to their street
performances, which were deemed
sinful.
Despite the apparent hostility
toward travelling performances,
the Church was highly responsible
for the growth of the Medieval
theatre. The Medieval church
offered a service that required the
dramatization of Biblical stories
within the church premises.
It was not until the 1200s that
religious dramas were held and
performed outside of the church.
Theatre experienced a paradigm
shift over the centuries and
gradually became more secular. In
the 16th century, Medieval theatre
ended its reign.
History of Medieval Theatre
quick facts:
The Church played a large role in the
development of Medieval Theatre
The Church did not welcome travelling
entertainers but Medieval Theatre was
accepted
Medieval Theatre became more
Secular over time
The Medieval Theatre ended around
the 16th Century
Medieval Theatre Plays
A church service called The Hours
made use of music to give more
impact to religious plays. Liturgical
dramas covered just about every story
in the Bible including Lazarus’ revival
from the dead, St. Paul’s conversion
and Daniel’s deliverance from the lions.
A notably beloved Biblical story that
was often the subject of many religious
dramas was Mary’s visit to Jesus
Christ’s tomb only to find him
resurrected. Religious plays became
more prominent outside of the church
during the late Middle Ages.
Medieval theatre changed bit by bit
since those times. The emergence of
guilds, a bustling local economy and
the gradual decline of feudalism were
other factors that greatly contributed
to the growth of Medieval theatre.
Vernacular Plays
Vernacular plays grew in popularity
from around 1200 to 1350 and took
over the top spot once held by
liturgical plays. A number of these
plays were performed on open venues
during the spring and summer
seasons. Also gaining fanfare were
cycle plays, which were both religious
and secular in nature.
Though cycle plays dealt with a
wide assortment of plots, it was
not uncommon or unusual to base
their stories on Biblical figures,
sermons and church writings.
Cycle plays consisted of several
episodes or chapters but without
regard for chronology. They could
also last for as short as a few
hours and as long as several days.
The author of cycle plays normally
preferred anonymity.
Morality Play
The morality play was a special
type of religious play. Divided into
chapters the same way as cycle
plays, its theme constantly
revolved around man’s endless
struggle to be good and avoid evil.
• In the latter centuries, secular
plays emerged in schools and
universities to great fanfare. They
mostly comprised of Latin
comedies and tragedies. In
France, a secular play called the
farce became widely popular.
• Farcical stories were usually about
gods and heroes and political
discussions were incorporated into
these plays once in a while. Actors
from noble houses were the only
ones privileged enough to act in
secular plays.
Quick accurate information
about the Medieval Theatre
• The emergence of guilds and booming
incomes led to a boom in Medieval
Theatres
• A wide range of plays were shown in
medieval theatres such as Vernacular
and Morality plays
• In France secular medieval theatre
plays called the “farce" were popular
Medieval Theatre Facts
• The Medieval church became less
active in theatre affairs towards the
end of the 14th century. It started to
loosen up its grip on play productions
but still screened scripts and play
contents every now and then.
Medieval Theatre Facts
• Since theatre productions were
considered prestigious events, they
required the presence of several
actors, extensive special effects and
large funding. As a result, directors
were appointed to handle all these
troubling matters.
Medieval Theatre Facts
• At times, stage productions were taken
care of by a committee of overseers
who, among others, were tasked to
ensure the stage was well-constructed,
its setting designed properly and that
there were enough seats for the
audience.
Medieval Theatre Actors
• Different plays had different actor
requirements. The number of actors
varied depending on the size of the
production. Cycle plays, given the fact
that they could last for several days,
requires as many as a hundred or so
actors (300 in some cases).
Medieval Theatre Actors
• Directors would hold auditions in the
locality so aspiring actors could apply
whenever they wished. The patriarchal
nature of Medieval society did not
encourage the participation of females,
although in France women joined
stage plays from time to time.
Medieval Theatre Stage
and Costumes
• The church applied the conventions of
the time to stage liturgical dramas. To
showcase the play’s setting, small
structures called mansions were set up
as backdrops at the sides of the stage.
The number of mansions used for a
play could increase depending on the
length or complexity of the play.
Medieval Theatre Stage
and Costumes
• Mansions could be arranged in straight
lines, circles or rectangles. The platea,
the large space near the mansion,
served as the general acting area
where actors performed their character
portrayals.
Medieval Theatre Playwrights
• • Bishop of Winchester, wrote the
world’s first liturgical drama, Regularis
Concordia. This drama was mostly
performed in monasteries since the
start of the Middle Ages. Romance of
the Rose by Guillaume de Lorris was
one of the most esteemed morality
plays in Medieval times.
Medieval Theatre Masks
• Stage actors in the Medieval times
often wore masks, which came in all
shapes and sizes. Most theatre masks
had bizarre designs. Some were
grotesque enough to scare the
audience. According to historians,
horrific-looking masks were meant to
prevent any misbehaviour.
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
• 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
Quen Quaeritis
• 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 1600’s 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