The mediaeval stage, volume 2 (of 2)Chambers, E. K. (Edmund Kerchever)
History
The mediaeval stage, volume 2 (of 2)
Chambers, E. K. (Edmund Kerchever)
Drama, Medieval -- History and criticism; Theater -- History -- Medieval, 500-1500
The players required refreshment at intervals during the day, and
probably the craftsmen who attended the pageant took their share. Further
expenses, both for refreshment, and for the hire of a room or hall, were
incurred at rehearsals. The Smiths in 1490 had their first ‘reherse’ in
Easter week, and their second in Whitsun week.
Each craft had its own ‘orygynall’ or ‘play-boke,’ and paid for making
the necessary copies, for setting or ‘pricking’ songs, for ‘beryng of ye
Orygynall’ or prompting, and occasionally for bringing the text up to
date. Thus the Smiths had a ‘new rygenale’ in 1491, and in 1573 a ‘new
play,’ by which is apparently meant an additional scene to their existing
play (cf. p. 423). The Drapers added ‘the matter of the castell of
Emaus’ in 1540. The Weavers paid 5_s._ ‘for makyng of the play boke’ in
1535, and the colophon of their extant text shows it to have been ‘newly
translate’ in that year by Robert Croo. This was a regular theatrical
man of all work. The matter of the Shearmen and Taylors’ play was ‘nevly
correcte’ by him in the same year. In 1557 he got 20_s._ from the Drapers
‘for makyng of the boke for the paggen.’ The Smiths paid him in 1563 ‘for
ij leves of our pley boke.’ And between 1556 and 1562 he further assisted
the Drapers, by playing God, mending the ‘devells cottes,’ supplying a
hat for the Pharisee, and manufacturing the requisite ‘iij worldys.’
Finally, there was the not inconsiderable cost of costumes and
properties, including the gloves for the performers which figure so
invariably in mediaeval balance sheets. Further details as to these and
all other objects of expenditure than I have here room for will be found
in the invaluable volumes of Mr. Sharp.
_The Destruction of Jerusalem._
In 1584, four years after the ordinary Corpus Christi plays were laid
down, the _Annals_ record ‘This year the new Play of the Destruction of
Jerusalem was first played.’ This is confirmed by the accounts of the
corporation, which include a sum of £13 6_s._ 8_d._ ‘paid to Mr. Smythe
of Oxford the xvᵗʰ daye of Aprill 1584 for hys paynes for writing of
the tragedye.’ This was one John Smythe, a scholar of the Free School
in Coventry and afterwards of St. John’s College, Oxford. The play was
produced at considerable expense upon the pageants of the crafts, but
the day of performance is not stated. From the detailed accounts of the
Smiths and the Cappers, Mr. Sharp infers that it was based upon the
narrative of Josephus.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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