The medieval cycle of York Mystery Plays has been told by the people of York for hundreds of years and is deeply embedded in the City’s cultural heritage. A 1400 seat bespoke theatre is being built around the ancient walls of St Mary’s Abbey to house this international event, which celebrates the York 800 City charter birthday and the Cultural Olympiad.
The production, which features a cast of about 500 actors and 1,200 behind-the-scenes volunteers, with Ferdinand Kingsley, the 24-year-old son of actor Ben Kingsley, will playing both the part of God and Christ.
The celebration of the Corpus Cristi Festival can be dated back as far as 1376. A celebration which sees our city transformed into a stage.
This ancient method of story telling is having a resurgence, after being reintroduced to a modern audience for the Millennium we were left hungry for more. This is why this years offering couldn’t be more exciting and has never been more relevant.
