![]() ![]() Both actors have northern roots, a factor that was seen as crucial for a community drama. ![]() Acclaimed UK theatre actor Ferdinand Kingsley played both God and Jesus, and UK TV soap-star Graeme Hawley was the Devil. A new adaptation was written by Mike Kenny and the plays were performed against the backdrop of St Mary’s Abbey and for the first time since 1988 in York Museum Gardens, a 1400-seat covered area within the ancient Abbey walls. Damian Cruden says ‘we’re not setting the plays in the year 1951 but telling them from that period’ of their first modern revival (see The directors wanted to reinvigorate the tradition and make the plays accessible to a modern audience. Why the dress mash-up? Paul Burbridge tells how they wanted to acknowledge the 3 main markers of the plays: the late 1300s when they were first performed, the 1560s when they were suppressed, and the 1951 Festival of Britain when York re-started the tradition. In 2012 York celebrated 800 years York’s Civic Charter with a huge backstage and administrative team, 500 cast members and 2 casts – The Potter’s and The Carpenter’s – set in 30s, 40s, and 50s costumes, all under the direction of Paul Burbridge (Riding Lights) and Damian Cruden (Theatre Royal) and producer Liam Ford-Evans. The York Mystery cycle is the largest and most complete in England with some 48/49 plays. ![]()
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