The Mystery Unraveled

A recent theatre workshop in the city brings to life drama from the Fourteenth century, finds out Menaka JayasankarOf course, there were r...

A recent theatre workshop in the city brings to life drama from the Fourteenth century, finds out Menaka Jayasankar

Of course, there were regional adaptations — like the drinking companions of Noah’s wife, who wouldn’t let her board the ark. Or the sheep-stealing shepherd from Wales (which is near the Chester border), who hid a sheep in the crib. "There was no reverential treatment. The characters spoke the crude language of the people, and raised issues like unfair taxation," he says. And it is this fiercely democratic spirit that eventually led to their suppression. The Mystery Plays were revived only in 1951, when special permission was obtained to perform them again (it was illegal to enact God, till 1968!). So there now is a performance in York and Chester, every four and five years, respectively. And many rising actors (including Dame Judy xxx) have begun there careers here.

Cheeseman himself twice directed the Chester cycle, while heading Dance and Theatre Studies at the Chester College of Higher Education. "I did some special editing and translation to enable immediate understanding, but on the whole stuck to the original script," he says about the three day-long theatre extravaganza in ’92. In keeping with the original spirit, each ten-hour day included music, dance, magic and fire-eating. However, he was determined not to make it just a tourist attraction, so involved over 600 local people in the production. Each play had its own director who had complete stylistic freedom," he elaborates, "And God was played by three people: a 12-year-old child, a woman and a Black."

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It is these unique features of grandiose scale and community participation that Cheeseman emphasised at the workshop. "How does one convert ancient tales into drama? And how does one dramatise these vast events through symbolism and representation?" he questions. With video clips and a excerpts from the original scripts to assist, he encouraged the participants to create their own Mystery Play. And many improvisations were thrown up. For example, how Isaac’s mother would feel about Abraham’s decision to sacrifice their son to God. Or how a shadowy background figure could represent Jesus’ inner struggle with the Devil’s temptation.

Of course, India has similar traditions like the Krishna Leela and Ram Katha, where the legends are enacted in a series of all-night performances. "However, with its archaic language and strong Biblical emphasis, I don’t see the Mystery Plays really happening here," feels actor and participant Ratan Batliwala, Fellow participant and actress Karla Singh agrees that they may not be commercially viable, especially as sponsors hesitate to touch religious subjects. "Yet these parables are nothing but lessons in life," she points out. "As for professionals like us, it opens our minds on how different drama is from reading a story; how to bring life to words; and how to capitalise on the intensity of sight and sound." And for some people, at least, the mystique of the Mystery Plays, continues to weave its ancient spell.