I FIRST saw the Mystery Plays in 1954 and have seen every production but one since then. I love the plays, although I did not feel that the Theatre Royal was the right venue - the proscenium arch felt like a barrier.
After the success of 2000, I thought that the profit would be put towards performances in 2004, hopefully in the Museum Gardens. One would imagine that technology would have advanced in a way that would render such a production easier than in 1951, but apparently this is not the case.
Perhaps the city should invest in a waterproof cover to protect audience and cast - or perhaps we could all just take pot luck as we used to do.
Failing that, I think that the best indoor venue apart from the Minster would be the Barbican, which has the room for the big crowd scenes. But the main thing is that the plays should be produced regularly - and not just on wagons - and that the people of York should take part in them and take pride in them.
I understood that the Mystery Plays always made a large profit and in the days of the York Festival went some way to subsidising other festival events. Can you explain to your readers just exactly where the money raised in 2000 is at present?
Pauline Marshall
The Green,
York.
...I WAS very surprised to read about the scrapping of the Mystery Plays next year. I consider this will be a great mistake for at least three reasons:
u They are a tourist attraction, bringing visitors to the city. The further reduction in York's heritage can do nothing to attract tourists.
u As a Christian I am worried by the loss of an event which at least gives people the opportunity to find out about God, without it being a pressure religion-selling crusade.
u Once the pattern is broken it will be hard to get going again - deferments all too easily become permanent.
It was a huge mistake to scrap the festival board, which used to put on a major arts festival every four years that included the Mystery Plays.
That was done purely for ideological reasons - there was never any economic argument in favour of it. Surely instead of scrapping the Mystery Plays (which I am led to believe break even or show a profit) we should expand the attractions in the city.
I fully recognise the disruption caused to the Minster, which after all is a working church, not a theatre, but there are plenty of other venues to use.
Citing the problems of using the Minster is not a valid argument and smacks of trying to hide a different reason.
I do hope the Evening Press will take this up as a campaign.
Paul Hudson
Lowfields Drive,York.
...THE 1951 Mystery Plays in the Museum Gardens were an unforgettable experience. The excitement of attending the plays with my mother and dad armed with flasks and blankets was intense.
Whatever venues are considered, I hope the Mystery Plays will continue to be staged at reasonably frequent intervals.
Margaret Lawson,
Aldborough House,
The Groves, York.
Updated: 10:41 Wednesday, June 18, 2003
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