EN2066 Final Essay - Grade: C PDF

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Write an essay in relation to ONE of the following topics referencing THREE or more of the York Mystery Plays from the list above; if you wish to write on The Second Shepherds' Pageant, that is equivalent to TWO of the York plays: ...

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Write an essay in relation to ONE of the following topics referencing THREE or more of the York Mystery Plays from the list above; if you wish to write on The Second Shepherds' Pageant, that is equivalent to TWO of the York plays:

The mystery plays were very important to everyday life in York. Not only were they a source of entertainment, but they also acted as a way to get across the all-important message of god. From glorifying him to nailing him to the cross, all aspects of God’s life were explored. The actors would very convincingly portray an array of different characters and stories. According to History of York, “the Mystery Plays were a great medieval tradition in York, a way of bringing religious messages to the streets of the city and a huge celebration. They were performed on the day of the great medieval festival of the Feast of Corpus Christi. This fell 60 days after Easter, in May or June” (History of York). This essay will be in relation to the topic of how the plays engage their audiences. The three York plays that will be referenced in this essay are ‘The Crucifixion’, ‘The Nativity’ and ‘Joseph’s Trouble about Mary’. These three different plays engage their audiences in a manner of various ways, such as standing on their level instead of being on a raised stage, directing dialogue or questions at them, and generally including them in both dialogue and positioning. Interaction and engagement with the audience is a very important element of theatre and it shapes how the play will progress in terms of morale and excitement. The audience enjoy the play much more when they are included and involved in various different aspects of the show but the actors also seem to quite often benefit from the interactions too. They perform excellently when receiving feedback from their audience and they also, according to Tess Quinlan, “feed off the audience for energy and validation” (2013). She also speaks about the different ways that people use this the results of the interaction between audience and cast members, for example, directors can use the reactions from the audience as feedback for their

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play. Producers can see where and how more money can be made and the actors can see what works best for them in terms of their technique and style. Quinlan also says that with regards to York plays, the audience is continuously changing, something that provides quite a challenge for “medieval thespians.” The first play that will be discussed in reference to how it engages with its audience is ‘The Crucifixion’. In this particular York play, the interaction with audience members is very clear as there is direct dialogue made with them. This particular play contains little stage direction but the scene is clearly set for us through the dialogue between the roman soldiers who crucify Jesus. According to Setonhill.edu, “the dialogue of the four roman soldiers who crucify Jesus holds all the clues we need to know that the actor playing Christ stretched himself out on top of the cross and waited for the soldiers to come and nail him on it” (Setonhill.org). They are communicating with the audience in a subtle but effective way. This play really encourages the worship of the lord as when Christ is securely hoisted up upon the cross, the actor then takes this chance to preach the word of the lord to both the audience and people who just happen to be passing by. “The actor then calls out to all the people who are walking past him, and instructs them to look at his wounds, and think about how Jesus must have loved humanity, since he underwent tremendous agony in order to save us from our sins. It also addresses the crowds in York-even those people who just happened to be in the neighbourhood, ignoring the play and trying to go about their daily lives” (Setonhill.org). This engagement between actor and audience member goes much further here as the actor is attempting to engage with people who haven’t even come to see the play. The cast try to include everyone who even slightly encounters the play and thus further spread the sacrifices of the lord.

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The second play that will be discussed in reference to how it engages with its audience is ‘The Nativity’. According to Setonhill.edu, “the text of the play indicates that the set depicted a stable with a thatched roof badly in need of the services of the play’s sponsors” (Setonhill.org). This alone is quite clear interaction with the audience. They are showing that more funding is needed in order to carry out their performances. Their engagement is that of making a strong point that their company and jobs are in danger of falling apart and that better, newer and more advanced equipment is needed if the people want to continue to see the group perform. In ‘The Nativity’, the audience are also engaged by the use of lighting. The transition from dark to light gives the audience members a more in depth understanding of the entire story as it clearly marks a bad time becoming better. For example Joseph and Mary being stuck without a place to stay, to then finding shelter and giving birth to the baby Jesus. Joseph says that he will get light for them, stating, “I will go get us light forthy” but as Mary states that her son is now born, light fills the space and Joseph asks “ah lord god, what light is this that comes shining thus suddenly?” (The Nativity). He then hails god as the light seems to have come as a gift from above. This visual engagement with the audience is very effective as light is one of the clearest ways to describe a situation. The next play that will be discussed in this essay in reference to how the plays engage their audiences is ‘Josephs Trouble about Mary’. There are many different aspects in this play such as irony and comical structure but how the play engages with the audience is once again very important. In this particular play there is basically little or no stage directions given whatsoever. This seems slightly odd as one would imagine that this would make it harder for all involved but in reality, it gives them more room to be creative with the play. According to Quinlan, “in Joseph’s Trouble About Mary, there is practically no stage direction” (2013). She says that this surprised her but that the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. “It gave the actors across England to be more creative and take license without offending a

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playwright. This also gives them the flexibility to improvise when it comes to actions and movements on stage.” (Quinlan, 2013). Despite not directly engaging with the audience through means such as dialogue, Joseph’s Trouble About Mary interacts and engages with the audience through different means such as the actors’ movements and their placement on stage. Other aspects like the type of clothes they wear also draw in the attention of the audience members. There are many different ways to interact with an audience than direct dialogue, as is made clear in this particular play. The York plays played a very important role in society. Not only were they an immense source of entertainment for the public but they also spread the work of god to many. Despite there being many different things like irony and comical structure present in the plays, one aspect that was present throughout each of them was the engagement with their audiences. Although it may be clearer in some plays more than others, some interact with audience members through dialogue and others through more subtle means such as positioning, movement and placement of actors on stage, each York play mentioned above engages with the audience in a manner of different ways. ‘The Crucifixion’, ‘The Nativity’ and ‘Joseph’s Trouble About Mary’ all interact and include their audience in the story which makes the play much more enjoyable for everyone involved and also makes the plot of the play more interesting for the viewing audience.

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Works Cited:

History of York. The Mystery Plays. http://www.historyofyork.org.uk/themes/medieval/themystery-plays. Accessed on: 15/12/2016.

Quinlan, T. ‘Audience Interaction Helps To Shape Theatre’. www.tessquinlan.weebly.com. Published on: 20/09/2013. Accessed on: 10/12/2016.

‘Surviving Episodes of the York Corpus Christi Plays.’ www.jerz.setonhill.edu. Accessed on: 09/12/2016.

York Play. ‘The Nativity’. Accessed on: 10/12/2016.

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