Mummers Plays
Throughout the year, we perform a number of short mummers plays, most of them associated with a specific season or time of the year. For many of these plays we have disguised faces.
The plays typically include a number of bizarre characters (such as King George, Turkish Knight, Beelzebub and a quack doctor) and commonly tell a humorous tale based on the well-known death & resurrection story. However, one of them tells a tale of courting while another covers the potential ramifications of excessive alcohol consumption.
The Sources
Mummers play sources are varied and numerous. Most of our plays are assembled from a variety of traditional sources, the main exception being the morality play which was written by Jim Coulson of the Wakeman Mummers, Ripon, Yorks. and shared with us in 1994.
Special thanks are due to the Hartley Morris Men, from whom we collected the Horse Play from Kent.
The Plays
Bassingham (Lincs) Wooing Play (12th Night and Plough Sunday)
The Pace Egging Play (Easter)
The Horse Play from Kent (Spring/Summer)
The Antrobus (Cheshire) Soul Caking Play (Halloween)
The Hero/Combat Play (Christmas)
The Drinker - a morality play (anytime)
Throughout the year, we perform a number of short mummers plays, most of them associated with a specific season or time of the year. For many of these plays we have disguised faces.
The plays typically include a number of bizarre characters (such as King George, Turkish Knight, Beelzebub and a quack doctor) and commonly tell a humorous tale based on the well-known death & resurrection story. However, one of them tells a tale of courting while another covers the potential ramifications of excessive alcohol consumption.
The Sources
Mummers play sources are varied and numerous. Most of our plays are assembled from a variety of traditional sources, the main exception being the morality play which was written by Jim Coulson of the Wakeman Mummers, Ripon, Yorks. and shared with us in 1994.
Special thanks are due to the Hartley Morris Men, from whom we collected the Horse Play from Kent.
The Plays
Bassingham (Lincs) Wooing Play (12th Night and Plough Sunday)
The Pace Egging Play (Easter)
The Horse Play from Kent (Spring/Summer)
The Antrobus (Cheshire) Soul Caking Play (Halloween)
The Hero/Combat Play (Christmas)
The Drinker - a morality play (anytime)
To see more examples of our mummers plays, please explore our Media Arcihive.
