Unravelling the mystery behind city plays

At the end of June Chester Cathedral Green will come alive with the sound of actors, singers, dancers, and children telling stories from the Bible to packed audiences.
Seven hundred years ago, people in Chester were doing exactly the same thing.

The Chester Mystery Plays date back to the 14th Century when members of the city's freemen and guilds performed tales from the Old and New Testaments to the city's populace who didn't understand church services in Latin.
Written by the monastic scholars of the Abbey of St Werburgh, now Chester Cathedral, the plays tell the story from God's Creation through to the Last Judgement of Christ.
They were originally staged on open pageant wagons which were trundled through the streets to "stations" where the audience gathered.

The first station was outside Abbey Gate and the 2008 audience will pass through the same place to see the modern version of the plays. The medieval route continued down Northgate to the Cross then along Watergate, cutting next into Bridge Street then Eastgate.
Original scripts of mystery plays survive from only five UK cities, with Chester's being the most complete in existence with a text of 24 plays.

An ecclesiastical ban in the 16th Century put a stop to the performance of mystery plays although Chester was the last to succumb, much to the fury of the ruling Archbishop.
Hundreds of years later, in 1951, the plays were revived as part of the celebrations of the Festival of Britain.

Chris Fletcher, 81, remembers being in that first revival.
"I was in the chorus of Noah and we performed the plays in the refectory of the Cathedral.
"I was 24 at the time, single and teaching art at Helsby Grammar School and two other members of staff and I thought it would be a good idea to get involved.
"It was really exciting. We had to plead with Noah to let us on the Ark and I remember God being up a pulpit. It was very effective."

Chris' grandchildren Daniel, 17 and Abbi 13, are both taking part in the 2008 production. Daniel, a student at Upton High School, is playing the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, head of the Order of Cherubim, a devil and a soldier. Abbi is performing as part of Jigsaw Music Theatre Company in the Creation and Noah.

Chris, of Great Sutton, is hoping to go and see her grandchildren's performance with her son Peter and his wife.
She says: "As far as I can remember I don't think we had as many rehearsals as Dan and Abbi are having now."

Chairman of Chester Mystery Plays Ltd, Jo Sykes, remembers first getting involved with the plays in 1962 when she was still a schoolgirl. She has been involved in one way or another in every production since then.
She says: "During the long, hot summer of 1973 a company of 20 Chester Guildsmen took to the streets of the city under the leadership of pageant master Kevin Catchpole, a local journalist and theatre enthusiast.

"The men, drawn from various guild companies and wearing simple costumes made by their wives and guild supporters, performed on a cart designed and built by Chester Gateway Theatre designer Robin Edwards.
"This production ran simultaneously with the main production which was directed by James Roose-Evans and was performed on the Cathedral Green in a Big Top.
"Animal heads, made by pupils of Christleton School, were hung around the colourful cart and children from the watching crowd were welcomed aboard the Ark at each performance.
"Among distinguished spectators was writer and broadcaster Malcolm Muggeridge who found the cart plays 'quite charming'."
In 1977 and 1982 she played the role of Mary Magdalene.

Artistic director of the 2008 cycle, Robin Goddard, has also had a long standing artistic involvement with the plays.
In 1977 he played Lucifer, five years later swapping sides to take on the role of Jesus.
Composer and musical director of the 2003 and 2008 cycles, Matt Baker, was first involved in 1992 when he was asked to compose a short Hosannah chant for the Judas play, in which he appeared as Caiaphas.
Jo added: "The 2008 production is almost upon us and this is where the magic begins. There is a spectacular new set and costumes designed by Judith Croft, exciting new music composed by Matt Baker and of course Robin Goddard's imaginative and at times breathtaking artistic direction which will astound and delight the audiences who will flock to Chester Cathedral Green."

The Chester Mystery Plays will be performed on Chester Cathedral Green from June 28 to July 19 (previews June 26 and 27). Tickets from Chester Festivals Box Office at Chester Racecourse 01244 304618.