York Mystery Plays - The Waggon Plays

The Waggon Plays

An experimental production using brewers’ drays and market stalls, was performed around Leeds University, in 1975.

In 1994 the Leeds-based historian Jane Oakshott worked alongside the Friends of York Mystery Plays, the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of York and the York Early Music Festival to direct in York the first processional performance of the plays in modern times. This production involved nine amateur drama groups each taking one of the plays, and touring it to five playing stations in the city using pageant waggons.

A production in a similar format in 1998 featured eleven of the plays, and for the first time the modern York Guilds were involved for some of the plays, either directly or as sponsors of performances.

For the 2002 production overall management shifted to a committee of the Guilds of York, namely The York Guild of Building, The Company of Merchant Taylors, The Company of Cordwainers, The Guild of Freemen, The Company of Butchers, The Guild of Scriveners and The Company of Merchant Adventurers. Ten plays were offered, again with the assistance of local drama groups.

In 2006, twelve waggons performed in the streets, in conjunction with the York Early Music Festival. Two complementary collections of images of this production: 'wide angle' and 'zoomed in'

The 2010 production again featured twelve waggons, performing at four stations. At the same time the only known surviving manuscript of the plays was on display at York Art Gallery