Mystery plays to be recreated for radio
Long tradition continues thanks to collaboration
YORK THEATRE Royal and the BBC have teamed up to craft radio recreations of biblical plays that were first performed in the city more than 600 years ago.
The York Mystery Plays, or the York Corpus Christi Plays, are a cycle of 48 plays covering a series of events from the creation to the Last Judgment.
They were traditionally presented on the feast day of Corpus Christi and were performed in York, from the mid-14th century until their suppression in 1569.
The modern day tradition of performing them was resurrected in the 1950s, and now BBC Radio York has been working in collaboration with York Theatre Royal to put them on the air – performed from home on mobile phones by a mix of community actors with a few professionals.
Paul Stonehouse, who appeared in Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre in York, will portray God in the plays.
The audio versions of the plays will include four performances in four instalments – Adam and Eve, The Flood part 1, The Flood part 2 and Moses and Pharaoh.
The first one will be broadcast on BBC Radio York on Sunday, June 7.
Juliet Forster, the associate director
of York Theatre Royal, has adapted the plays with Kelvin Goodspeed. Also director of the series, she said: “The York Mystery Plays are part of the DNA of this city. They belong to the people of York, and have brought people together to create, perform, watch, laugh and cry since the 14th century.
“The longevity of these potent plays clearly demonstrates how vital the collective act of storytelling is and has always been to human beings, and how much we need to explore and reflect together on our experiences and understanding of the world.
“We’re determined to keep doing this in spite of the lockdown. So, these plays seem exactly the right choice to pick up, find a new way to create, communicate afresh and encourage one another with.”
The theatre sourced the scripts, recruited the actors and provided music.
In keeping with social distancing rules, the production meant the actors had to record their lines on a smart phone from home. The recordings were then sent to BBC Radio York, which mixed and pulled them together into finished instalments.
BBC Radio York’s acting editor Anna Evans said: “It’s a privilege
Juliet Forster, associate director of York Theatre Royal. to work with York Theatre Royal and members of the city’s community to retain the tradition of the York Mystery Plays.
“During such uncertain times, it’s important that we can help maintain this cultural experience in a different way and I am so proud of what the teams have achieved in such difficult times.”
The project is part of the York Theatre Royal’s Collective Acts, a programme of creative community engagement taking place while the building is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The York Radio Mystery Plays are adapted by Juliet Forster and Kelvin Goodspeed.
Composition, foley (the reproduction of sound effects) and sound design has been handled by Ed Beesley. Songs have been composed by Madeleine Hudson, Musical Director of York Theatre Royal Choir, and feature its choir.
Listeners can hear the audio York Mystery Plays on BBC Radio York’s Sunday breakfast show with Jonathan Cowap every Sunday in June or on the BBC Sounds app.
The York Mystery Plays are part of the DNA of this city.