Theatre in the round  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

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Medieval theatre refers to the theatre of Europe between the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century A.D. and the beginning of the Renaissance in approximately the 15th century A.D. Medieval theatre covers all drama produced in Europe over that thousand year period and refers to a variety of genres, including liturgical drama, mystery plays, morality plays, farces and masques. Beginning with Hrosvitha of Gandersheim in the 10th century, Medieval drama was for the most part very religious and moral in its themes, staging and traditions. The most famous examples of medieval plays are the English cycle dramas and the morality play, Everyman.

Due to a lack of surviving records and texts, a low literacy rate of the general population, and the opposition of the clergy to some types of performance, there are few surviving sources on medieval drama of the early and high medieval periods. However, by the late period, drama and theatre began to become more secularized and a larger number of records survive documenting plays and performances.

Texts and Authors

Many texts survive from this era. Some of the most important ones are:

• Quem Quaeritis? - the piece of the liturgical Easter mass that eventually grew into a huge body of religious drama
• "The Second Shepherds' Play" from the Wakefield (also called Towneley) Cycle
• The York cycle - the longest mystery cycle in existence
• Everyman - this Flemish play is the most famous morality play
• The Castle of Perseverance - from 1440, it's the earliest known full-length vernacular play in existence. It's especially important because a stage drawing is included, which may suggest theatre in the round.
• "La Farce de maître Pierre Pathelin" - a French farce that was very popular for over a century.

Most authors of medieval plays are anonymous. Important ones are:

• Hrosvitha - the first female playwright, a nun from Gandersheim
• The Wakefield Master - contributor to some of the plays of the Wakefield Cycle, including "The Second Shepherds' Play." His real name is not known.
• John Bale - English churchman

See also

• Wakefield Mystery Plays
• The Second Shepherds' Play
• History of theatre
• Medieval French literature
• Oberammergau Passion Play
• Carnival
• The Vice