Medieval Play Concept - 1

I've decided to do a spin on things. The play I've chosen for my production comes from the York Corpus Christi Cycle, called The Mercer's Play: The Last Judgement. In this play God explains his judgments made based on what both good and bad souls have done. Then he ends the world.

I've two main ideas that I want to incorporate into this production. The first, I want to have this play done as it would have been done way back when: on a pageant wagon - a real, live, working, movable wagon with the actors pulling the thing along. An example I provide in a picture here from students who actually had a pageant play project of their own:



So great: the play has to be performed as it had been! But how could I make it unique and different? How could I make it worthy of seeing - something that would attract a greater audience than just those who are told they are going to die? I, personally, would never go to see a play based off of the book of Revelation - it's just plain scary and depressing.

But then! an idea hit me. It looked a little something like this:




Though this picture is a representation (and taken from a film series' franchise), the point is that it is the vision taken from a popular children's series also known as The Chronicles of Narnia!! The last book in the series, The Last Battle, is right in line with what the Last Judgement is trying to get across. And thus, my concept is set in motion. The Last Judgement Pageant Play will be influenced by the story of The Last Battle.

This is my "project" for the Central Theatre Ensemble. Whether we do all of the plays or just one is still in debate amongst the staff...

Works Cited

-Newport, Samantha. "Samantha Newport". 2010. Knox College
-2010. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and Walden Media, LLC

Further Reading
(I recommend readers of this blog to read the sources from which I bring my vision to life)

-The York Plays. Trans. Chester N. Somerville and Kimberly M. Yates. "The Mercers' Play: The Last Judgement." Toronto. 2003.

-Lewis, C.S. The Last Battle. United Kingdom. 1956.

-Holy Bible. New International Version. International Bible Society. 2001