Medieval Contributions to Theatre by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget
The chapter title “The Age of Expiring Chivalry” in Calvin Thomas’ A History of German Literature could just as aptly be named “The Rise of Church Theatre.”
Thomas describes Easter plays in detail as Easter is the more important holiday in Europe than Christmas. There several kinds of plays presented by churches in open-air spaces that connect us with Europe’s past albeit in a fragmented form.
The plays orchestrated by the Church that Thomas describes include:
Easter plays – Pertains to the discovery of Jesus Christ’s body and his resurrection
Passion plays – Enactments of the trial, suffering, and death of Jesus Christ
Christmas plays – Depiction of the birth of Jesus
Shrovetide plays – Carnival plays before the fasting period of Lent before Easter
Thomas points out key elements about these productions that planners of small and large theatre acts should keep in mind:
*They were performed outside as open-air spectacles
*These dramas began as late-medieval performances and ended as spectacles by the fifteen century, “employing an army of actors” (Google page number 109, Book page number 3)
*The performances lasted several days
These plays functioned like the sculpture on the French Gothic cathedrals for teaching the illiterate Bible stories. Spectacles must have brought in necessary revenue as well, especially if they lasted over several days.
Thomas points out that Latin and German were used to narrate the plays, which does make them important for literature. Thomas complains that the play texts that survive are more akin to stage directions; they probably resemble a director’s copy of a screenplay.
Some of the stand-alone acts that we associate with circuses or as children’s entertainment have come down to us from church Easter theatre; these include clowns, any kind of horseplay, and scatological humor according to Thomas.
Many of these plays are still performed in Germany today for adults and children alike. These performances draw in tourists to contemporary Germany; they invite the spectator to hearken back to a medieval soul and assume the position as town baker, butcher or candlestick maker and play your role in society.
The Passion Play at Oberammergau outside Munich, Germany is still performed every seven years. There is a museum in town devoted to the history of the play.
By Ruth Paget, Author of Eating Soup Like Chopsticks and Marrying France
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
 |
| Ruth Paget Selfie |
