Europe

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Our next destination, Europe in the year 1000, will be more broad than our first two destinations. We will visit England and France, where we will discuss religious influences in midieval theater. We will visit Germany, where we will meet Hrosvitha. Though this era is broad, we will try to narrow in on exciting theater places for you!

Itinerary

Pageant Wagons

Many medieval plays were staged on something called a pageant wagon. We will visit one of these wagons and see why they were so proficient and popular throughout the middle ages. We will also visit the outdoor stages at Valenciennes, another popular theater venue. 

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The Second Shepherd's Play

In order to understand the dramatic structure of plays from the middle ages, we will be viewing a play from this time period. The Second Shepherd's Play is an English Mystery play and it is the story of the shepherds who are told by the angel of the birth of Jesus. 

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Hrosvitha

Like all other time periods, we will be visiting a playwright. The earliest known woman playwright, Hrosvitha was from the middle ages, and we will be visiting her in Germany. She wrote Christian plays, like most other plays of that era. In talking with her, perhaps we can find out why this theme was so important.

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Religious Drama

There are three different types of religious dramas in the middle ages, and here we want to touch on all of them. The mystery plays, the miracle plays, and the morality plays. In a class offered by performers and pageant masters of the middle ages, we will learn all about these forms of theater. 

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