Durham Mystery Plays

11th December 2009

Categories: Visitor Events

The Durham Mystery Plays take place in May and are a modern revival of the ancient live theatre tradition of performing biblical plays in Medieval England.

More than five centuries later, arts groups in North East England have resurrected the tradition over three days of live performances from May 27-29 at sites in the historic city, including Durham Cathedral and Castle and The Gala Theatre.

Visitors will be able to witness stories including the Creation, the Day of Judgement, the Crucifixion and Noah and the Flood retold through a variety of modern genre and multimedia, including street and urban dance, film, poetry, comedy, song, light demonstrations, dynamic pulsating music and choreography.

Durham is an ideal place to host Mystery Plays. The city is home to the World Heritage site Durham Cathedral, one of the UK’s finest religious buildings, and the burial place of two of the most important figures in English Christian History – St Bede, the father of English History – and St Cuthbert, whose work helped convert the North to Christianity in the seventh century.

The plays have been revived in places such as York and Chester, and are set for their comeback in Durham, with local writers and established literary figures creating ten new and modern interpretations.

The timing of the Mystery Plays revival coincides with Durham’s bid to become the first-ever UK City of Culture in 2013.

Melanie Sensicle, chief executive of Visit County Durham, said: “The Mystery Plays are a symbol of Durham’s burning ambition and creativity and an indication of what people could expect if we are successful in our bid to become the UK’s City of Culture.”

Tickets are available at www.galadurham.co.uk or by calling the Box Office at: 0191 332 4041

RSS feeds