Medieval Theatre in Europe

The dramatization of a biblical series of events, from the creation to the last judgment.

The theatre of Byzantium was also the preserver of classical Greek & Roman dramas.

Early Middle Ages/Dark Ages: 500 to 1000ce

A person who was hired to manager the technology of scenic elements such as: fly lines, trap doors, ropes, etc.

When did the theatre of Byzantium flourish?

A series of small scenic mansions stood side by side, usually a huge platform was erected in an open area.

Rehearsal time for Cycle plays were long and scheduled often, creating a financial burden to those performing

An introduction added to the Easter service, meaning "Whom do you seek?"

The N-town, York, Wakefield, and Chester are the four cycles from England.

Located within the church, a scenic structure depicting some locale needed for a biblical tale.

Located in an outdoor space, all set pieces were exposed to the audience, often presented as an house or locale.

The English cycle with most surviving scripts (48) is:

Vernacular plays extant from as early as 1150, when did they flourish?

When was quem quaeritas added to the Easter service in the church?

The oldest English cycle drama is the Chester cycle.

The Pageant Master performed the duties of a modern producer and stage manager.

Audiences assembled in various places and the cycle plays were set up on a wagon that moved to locale to locale.

One person organizing & seeing over a production in England, also supervised the mounting of plays on wagons.

What were some characteristics of Performers of Cycle Plays

A popular form of early medieval music that had 2 groups responding to each other in song, fl. 1000-1200 in the church.

Located within the church, a central playing area.

Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) wrote _____ & ______.

High Middle Ages: roughly 1000 to 1400ce

Hrosrita's plays were published 500 years after written.

Between 1000-1300 urban centers developed allowing liturgical dramas to no longer be confined to monasteries.

The theatre of Byzantium continued the popular presentations established by the classics: mime, animal battles, etc.

Earliest known female dramatist and wrote 6 plays in the style of Terrence but used Christian stories.

Costumes of Cycle Plays: Characteristics?

Cycle Play Performers: Rehearsals were taken very seriously, put under oath, and treated as a religious duty.

Presenting more than one locale onstage at the same time.

The theatre of Byzantium was reminiscent of theatre during _____ empire.