Becky SolomonA new round of auditions for York’s biggest ever Mystery Plays will take place in January.
Next year’s Mystery Plays will be the largest outdoor production York has ever seen and will take place in the Museum Gardens amongst the ruins of St. Mary’s Abbey. The event is returning to a scale not seen since 1988 and a 1,400-seat custom-made theatre is being built around the walls of St Mary’s Abbey to house the performances.
The huge production is hoping to reinvigorate the tradition and to appeal to a widest possible audience. High profile actors will be making appearances in some performances but today they are hoping to find the talented actors who will snap up the main roles of Adam, Eve, Joseph and Mary. Dame Judi Dench, who is a patron of the 2012 Mystery plays and Mary Ure have both previously played Mary, proving to be an excellent role for budding actors. The Plays hope to have two casts to maximise the number of performances and it will allow a greater chance for hopefuls wanting to fill the coveted parts.
The Mystery Plays have been told by the people of York for hundreds of years and are important part of York’s heritage. They started as a way of bringing religious messages to streets of York. Performances run from the story of The Creation to The Last Judgement. The scale of 2012s production will be something truly special. Next years plays are written by Mike Kenny, an Olivier award winner who adapted the York Theatre Royal and the National Railway Museum’s production of The Railway Children.
There is, however, still chance to be part of these spectacular Mystery Plays with auditions held at De Grey Rooms. Auditions for main roles will take place on January 9 and 10 and group ensemble auditions will be held between January 11 and 18.
Judi Dench said: “ Having performed in the York Mystery Plays three times, I know the excitement that these events bring to the people of York and the important place they hold within the city’s history. When I heard the Mystery Plays were returning to Museum Gardens and the scale and ambition which York Theatre Royal, Riding Lights Theatre Company and York Museums Trust have for this production, I was honoured to be asked to become patron.
“I urge you to get involved with the York Mystery Plays 2012 and experience the magic of creating theatre with your own community. It is something I will always remember.”
The mystery plays will be performed in August 2012, and Tickets are already available to buy off the York Theatre Royal website.
To read our interview with community manager Liam Evans Ford click here.
Or alternately, for more information about the mystery plays, including audition times and information sessions visit their website.
