Norwich Mystery Plays

Today was the launch of the Norwich Mystery Plays project. The Mystery (or Mysterium) plays were originally bible stories brought to life by the guilds and trades people of the time (on behalf of the church) to reach a wider audience. These tales became more and more bawdy until eventually the Pope declared that they were nothing to do with the church. This is the birthplace of theatre in the UK. Following from successes in York, Norwich have their own "Grocers" play that Peter Beck is going to adapt for the People of Norwich. Our focus is families and children (so family friendly) and encouraging young people who may not have seen theatre before. We are going back to the origins and hoping to encourage a whole new audience to Theatre! No pressure then :-o

Pictured here are Peter Beck and Collie Mudie Head of learning at the Castle Museum. Guess who is stage managing! :)