Lincoln Mystery Plays
Posted on August 1st, 2012, written by AlexSchimmelLincoln Cathedral is proud to announce that the Lincoln Mystery Plays will be performing in the Cloister over the month of July.
This year’s production starts in the open air at the Medieval Bishop’s Palace for the Creation and Old Testament stories, and concludes with the Passion and Doomsday in the Cathedral Cloisters after dark. Doors open at the Medieval Bishop’s Palace at 6.30 p.m. for picnics and refreshments.
The Lincoln plays have their origins in the tenth century when monks and clergy enacted key biblical extracts in order to educate and inform their congregation. Along with the cycles of York, Chester, Coventry, Lichfield and Wakefield, the plays were ‘lost’ and largely forgotten from the Reformation onwards.
Mystery Plays tell the story of mankind from the Creation to Doomsday. Originally, however, the plays were performed to audiences who were largely illiterate and were seen as reinforcement of faith – the Crucifixion and Resurrection scenes being particularly telling. Nonetheless, these occasions were not solemn.
The plays contain much music and primitive humour (the writers would often make particular fun of those characters of which they were most frightened – keep an eye on Satan) and the events were very much times of celebration. After the Reformation and the consequent suppression of the Plays, these wonderful cycles remained unperformed for many hundreds of years. The first full-scale revival was that seen in York in 1951 in an amazing, pioneering production by E Martin Browne. Two more productions by Browne followed in 1954 and 1957.
Tickets: £15 (£13 concessions); £49 Family Ticket (2 adults, 2 children). Book through the Lincoln Mystery Plays website (www.lincolnmysteries.co.uk) or purchase in person or over the phone at the Lincoln Drill Hall (01522 873894).
Date & Time
Tuesday 17th, July 2012
6:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Lincoln
Lincolnshire
LN2 1PX