THE man who played God in York's Millennium Mystery Plays says he is "saddened and dumbfounded" that the internationally-acclaimed tradition is in jeopardy.
John Hall claims that a lack of will is to blame for the failure to stage the plays next year, as should have happened under the four-year cycle.
The Evening Press revealed recently that the next production may not be staged until at least 2010.
Mr Hall, writing in tonight's paper, says he could understand what was happening if the Plays were a tired and unappealing institution.
"However, anyone involved with the Millennium Production will know that this clearly is not the case.
"The plays were nationally and internationally acclaimed in the press and on television, and filled the Minster for every performance. There was even a black market in ticket sales."
Mr Hall, of Stockton-on-the-Forest, York, who has played Pilate and Herod in previous productions in the 1980s and 1990s, calls for people with a passion for the plays to ensure the tradition is maintained.
He also urges the Evening Press to "keep waving the flag".
Full story in our news features section
Updated: 10:48 Tuesday, June 24, 2003
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