ANOTHER city is putting York to shame by staging its own Mystery Plays.

Coventry will put on a production next month in the ruins of the city's historic cathedral, with another planned for 2006.

Organisers say the Mysteries are a part of Coventry's increasingly vibrant events programme and a source of civic pride, and they will also attract many tourists to the city.

Coventry's venture mirrors that of Chester, where Mystery Plays are currently being staged on the cathedral green, with the city committed to mounting another production in 2008.

The two cities' efforts contrast sharply with York, where the world-famous Mystery Plays should have been staged next year under a traditional four-year cycle, but will not now take place, and may not be performed again until at least 2010.

At Coventry, the city's Belgrade Theatre has undertaken to ensure the Plays are performed every three years, with the last production staged in 2000 to celebrate the Millennium.

This year's production is a collaboration between the Belgrade and Macnas, a theatre based in Galway, Ireland, and has been almost two years in the planning.

There is a professional cast of seven, with 100 local amateur actors taking part in each city. Galway's production comes first, followed by Coventry's between August 5 and 23.

A black person portrays Christ, and the person playing the Virgin Mary is seven months pregnant.

An audience of between 400 and 500 will promenade each night from one location to another within the shell of the cathedral, which was badly damaged by bombing during the Second World War.

A spokeswoman said the production had received major sponsorship from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and also from Peugeot, which has a factory in the city, and a range of other businesses, including HSBC.

Coventry City Council also gave financial backing, and grants had also been obtained from a number of local charitable trusts.

She said other events were staged about the time of the Plays, including a carnival involving cast members and school events. The Coventry Mystery Plays box office can be contacted by phone on 024 7655 3055.

Updated: 10:37 Thursday, July 10, 2003