This multimedia project explores the ways that medieval English mystery plays are adapted for and presented to modern audiences in York, Chester, Lincoln, and even North America. How is this centuries-old drama still inextricably tied up in civic identity? And what can it teach us about the ways that communities are defined by their literary and cultural achievements?
The project includes performance photos and video; interviews with casts, crews, and community members; geotagged story maps of the cities, and more. These interactive elements will serve as a resource for both the communities that produce mystery plays today and for students and scholars of medieval drama who do not have the opportunity to see the plays in their “natural habitat.” Mysteries Past, Mysteries Present will be available as a website so that it will be accessible as possible.
Please browse through a sample chapter, videos, and photo galleries below.
sample chapter
The best way to currently experience the project is to view this mockup of a sample chapter using iBooks on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Because the final version will be web-based, it will be accessible to anyone with an internet browser.
screenshots
If you don’t have a device able to open an iBooks file, please enjoy these screenshots – they do not have the interactive capabilities of the iBooks file but can give you a sense of the overall look and feel of the project.
Click each image to view at full size.
sample videos
photo galleries
I have been documenting performances of mystery plays in York, Chester, Lincoln, and Toronto since 2010. There are hundreds of my photos licensed CC-BY-NC-SA, so you are free to share and use them for research, teaching, and more … just credit me!
Click the image below to see all my Flickr albums … or visit this page with just my performance photos.
