The plays, which include the famous Second Shepherd’s Play, were performed in the town of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and probably also seen in other local settlements. Large crowds would have gathered for the performances, which took place to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi.
The Authors of the Wakefield Cycle Plays
The 32 plays were written over many years, by a number of different authors, but several plays in the cycle were penned by an anonymous author known as the Wakefield Master. The Master is believed to have written a number of the most exceptional plays in the cycle, including the Second Shepherd’s Play, Herod The Great and Noah.
The plays, in common with most medieval mystery plays, relate to Biblical themes and most carried a moral message, delivered through a humorous and visual piece of theatre, with local people taking the many parts in the performances.
The Staging of the Wakefield Cycle Plays
Debate still exists among scholars as to how the Wakefield Cycle was staged. The plays required almost 250 actors, at a time when the population of Wakefield was only around 500 adults, so it seems certain that some performers came from outside the town.
While many mystery plays were performed by religious and trade guilds, mention of any guild performing the Wakefield Cycle appears only in manuscripts dated long after the plays are believed to have first been performed.
The Wakefield Cycle plays are similar to some of the York Mystery Plays. Given the geographical closeness of York and Wakefield, some historians believe that part of the Wakefield Cycle may at one time have been performed in York also.
The Towneley Manuscript and the Second Shepherd’s Pageant
The plays of the Wakefield Cycle were preserved as a single manuscript, which came to be known as the Towneley Manuscript, named after the family who owned it. The manuscript is now kept at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.
The Second Shepherd’s Pageant is probably the best known of the plays in the Towneley Manuscript. It tells the story of Mak the sheep stealer and his wife in a tale of the nativity. Mak and his wife steal a sheep, dress it up as a baby but are caught by the shepherds, and Mak is thrown around in a blanket, before the scene changes to the traditional nativity story.
As with all mystery plays, the story aimed to entertain the audience and educate them with a moral message which they didn’t realise they were receiving. Before most people had access to the Bible, street theatre was an excellent way of passing on religious messages to large groups of people.
Sources:
The Towneley Cycle Of The Mystery Plays (Or The Wakefield Cycle): Thirty-Two Pageants Anonymous [Lulu, 2008]
Wakfield Council website
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