Medieval Drama
Miguel & Christina
2nd period- Theatre Arts
Video
Who?
• The Greeks originally started Medieval drama
• The Latins started this type of drama as well
when they wanted to express the Bible in
plays for people to understand more.
• Also, Catholics took part in performing these
plays.
What?
Medieval drama are basically plays that
were religious and performed by priests
and members of the church in a way to
teach Bible stories
When?
Medieval Drama occurred between the
years of 600 and 1500 CE, which was in
the Middle Ages.
Where?
It got started in Europe.
Different types of medieval
plays
• Mystery plays: Christ and the old testament
• Miracle plays: lives of saints and historical and
legendary events.
• Morality plays: common man struggle for salvationaimed to teach or reinforce church doctrine.
• Mellow dramatic plays: good rewarded and evil
punish
• Secular Plays: Latin comedies
• Folk plays: dancing fighting and buffoonery ; very
little dramatic action.
Medieval stages
• There where two types of stages fixed and
movable.
• fixed: where they used machinery to move actors
across stage like make angle fly.
• Movable: "Pageant" being the physical stage and
"Wagons" being the movable factor of the stage. for
the people who are at the market can watch the
play go on.
Information
• Before the 1200s plays were being done in side
church as part of liturgy.
• some influences on the plays that were made was
religious and some anachronism
• If we looked back at the plays we would think of
them naive if we didn’t understand the time period.
• Costumes were ordinary church vestments.
• By 1350s people of community started being part of
plays (unpaid and some girls) church supported
dramas
Pictures
The decline of medieval
drama
• When the fall of the roman empire started
and the increase in classical learning affected
stage writing social structure changing.
• Then when it was out lawed religious plays in
late 16th century
sources
• www.stagehistory.webs.com
• www.nonvooline.nvcc.edu
• www.Luminarium.org
Quiz
1. Where did medieval drama get started?
a. Europe
b. United States
c. Brazil
2. When did Medieval Drama take place?
a. 1983 to 2000
b. 2012 to 2012
c. 600 to 1500 CE
Quiz
3. Where did Medieval drama start?
a. Europe
b. Russia
c. Brazil
4. Medieval drama/theatre started to help
teach and express…
a. Acting lessons
b. Bible lessons
c. home schooling
Quiz
True or False
5. The Roman Empire represented the fall of
theatre
6. Folk plays are not a part of medieval drama
7. There are 2 stages of medieval drama
8. Medieval drama outlawed religious plays in
the 21st century
9. Latin comedies are called secular plays.
10. The Chinese performed medieval religious plays.