1. Medieval Theatre History
Theatre Arts 120

2. Medieval Period Time Frame
____ CE to ____ CE (CE=AD)

3. Drama owes its rebirth to the Catholic Church
Priests introduce ______: chants that help those who can’t read or write learn Biblical history.
Church plays become elaborate presentations that are very popular.
Performers were ______, ________, _______.

4. Continued…
Church drama expands to present more and more Bible stories:
___________ and ___________Plays:
Based on the lives of saints and stories of Bible
__________________:
Last week of Jesus’ life.

5. Mystery Play

6. The Passion Play

7. Plays performed with Mansions
Mansions: Various acting stations placed in a line, each one a different ________ such as: Heaven, Hell, Jerusalem, etc.

8. Medieval trade unions (guilds) presented most Miracle and Mystery plays.
Each guild (________, _______, _____ etc) did one part: the last supper, Three Wise Men, et cetera.

9. Each guild had pageant wagon (stage on wheels):
Forerunner for _________________.
Wagons traveled from town to town.
Audience would stay in one spot while wagons moved through one by one.
Entire sequence called a ________.

12. Morality Plays
Similar in theme to Miracle and Mystery plays, ye more concerned with the ____________ taught by Christianity rather than stories from the Bible
A famous example of a Morality play, __________, tells the story of how Everyman is summoned to meet Death, appear before God, and seek salvation. Other characters include Fellowship, Kindred, Beauty, Strength, and Good Deeds.

13. Wandering groups begin presenting Miracle and Mystery plays:
Originators of first ________________.

14. Not to be too serious, though…
Despite the seriousness of the message and religious content, the performances continued to appeal to the audience’s appetite for ____________and _________.
Acrobatic feats and farcical miming were a large part of these religious plays.
Perhaps that is why the _______ is still one of the most prolific symbols of the medieval period.

15. Complicated technical effects…
_______________
__________, to fly angels in
___________– with a moving jaw, real flames, and smoke bellowing from its bowels; would consume those characters too evil for Heaven.
It took seventeen men to operate one device!

16. Hell’s Mouth