The York Mystery Plays were first performed in 1376 and continued for 200 years before being shut down by the Protestant Reformation. They were revived in 1951 as part of the Britain Festival and since 1992 they have been performed in the streets of York for modern audiences.
The York plays tell the stories of the Bible from Creation to the Last Judgment. They are broken down into short productions that last only minutes and do not need huge stages, backstage areas, costume changes, or too many props. It can be assumed that the plays were kept short in order to maintain the audiences attention so that they could focus on the stories of God. Being that the stories of the God were the most important part of life in medieval York, it was important to keep the shows short and too the point.
"YORK MYSTERY PLAYS." Loading. Web. 05 Dec. 2010. <http://www.yorkfestivals.com/metadot/index.pl?iid=4371&isa=Category>.
"2008-09 Yale Repertory Theatre | Passion Play." Yale Repertory Theatre. Web. 05 Dec. 2010. <http://www.yalerep.org/on_stage/currentseason/passionplay/british_passion.html#>.
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