York Mystery Plays: The lesser-known medieval custom which only happens once every four years

Hundreds of performers are set to return to the streets of York this summer, bringing with them painted waggons and tales of old.

These celebrations are part of The York Mystery Plays - a medieval custom dating back to the 14th century.

The cycle of 48 biblical pageants are back in the city from Sunday (Jun 28) until July 5.

Of the 48, 11 will be performed across four different locations over the next week, three of which are free to attend.

The first recorded performance of the Mystery Plays can be traced back to 1376, when biblical stories were acted out on wagons travelling through the streets of York.

They were staged, in part, to relay religious stories to a largely illiterate public. However, under the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, the plays were effectively banned.

It was only in 1951, as part of the Festival of Britain, that they were finally revived.

For Roger Lee, chair of the York Festival Trust, the plays are a key part of the city’s “local memory”.

“There will always be someone who knows someone who was in one of the mystery plays,” he said.

“It’s a huge community production that relies on the goodwill, energy and generosity of a lot of local people.”

Whilst modern health and safety regulations have led to “scrutiny” from authorities, the plays have continued to receive “unfailing support”, he added.

“We’re doing something quite physical and, in the middle of a modern city, it becomes harder and harder to do that,” he said.

Despite the plays’ religious overtones, Mr Lee said they deal with themes many people can relate to.

“Well-known stories, such as Adam and Eve or Noah’s Ark, are cross-cultural. They involve universal ideas such as betrayal, resurrection, change and relationships,” he said.

“They are also presented in a very visual way. It’s so different from just sitting there, listening.”

The mystery plays were originally performed and funded by local trade guilds, who each took responsibility for a single play. Guilds were also known as ‘mysteries’ – hence the name.

This year, the plays will be performed by volunteers representing the Guilds of Freemen, Butchers, Cordwainers, Merchant Adventurers and Tailors, Scriveners and Butchers.

Laura-Elizabeth Rice, co-founder of HIDden Theatre, is directing her company’s performance of ‘War in Heaven’ on behalf of the Guild of Freemen.

She became involved with the plays “by accident” in 2010, as an archeology student at the University of York.

“I love how different the medieval sensibility is,” she said. “They thought it was okay to turn ‘The Crucifixion’ into a comedy, or have a ‘War in Heaven’ that makes God look fallible.”

The plays, she added, will “always be very dear to my heart”.

“I wrote my PhD thesis on the 1951 revival, and my family all met during the 2014 production,” she added.

More information can be found here.