Mystery Plays were created all across Europe from the 13th century as a means of celebrating the stories of the Old and New Testaments for the Feast of Corpus Christi. Other famous Mystery Play “Cycles” in England were written in Coventry, York and Wakefield. The scripts, as in the case of the Chester Cycle, were often written by medieval monks. Originally performed inside the churches, from the 14th century they were produced by Crafts Guilds and performed in the open streets and market places on pageant carts ("waggons"). The mounting of the Plays in the nave of Chester Cathedral in 2013 was the first time in hundreds of years that they had been performed inside a church, and it was the first time they had ever been produced inside the cathedral nave itself. Performed by local people, both scripts and performances changed each year to remain current and have popular appeal.

The production of the Plays, so important to the local community, was suppressed during the Reformation and the last recorded performance prior to the 20th century revival was in 1575.

700 years ago church services were conducted in Latin and the monks at the Abbey of St Werburgh (now Chester Cathedral) enacted stories from the Bible to help those who couldn't otherwise follow or understand. Eventually this proved too disruptive and the plays were moved outside, after which individual companies of Chester Guilds adopted them. For example, the Grocers, Bakers and Millers performed The Last Supper, and the Ironmongers undertook The Crucifixion. Twenty-three of the ancient company guilds survive in Chester today. You will find the full list of original guilds HERE.

The Freemen and Guilds of Chester, a united group of trade companies, had been in existence for more than 100 years by then. A powerful force in the city, they protected the interests and welfare of fellow merchants and craftsmen while playing a major part in social, political and economic life. Their influence extended to organising major events, one of which became Chester Mystery Plays.

Medieval street theatre - The guilds staged the plays on open pageant ‘waggons’. Each waggon trundled through the streets to ‘stations' where the audience gathered. The first station was outside Abbey Gate - audiences today pass through the same place to see the modern version of the plays. The medieval route continued down Northgate to the Cross then along Watergate, cutting next into Bridge Street then Eastgate.

In those times all parts were performed by men or boys, and the waggons were often preceded by a mischievous, bawdy and cavorting procession, to the delight of the crowd and the growing disapproval of the Church.

Simultaneously in Europe there arose the French mystère, German Mysterienspiel, Italian Sacra Rappresentazione and Spanish auto sacramental. Traces of similar plays have been found in Denmark, Russia and states of central Europe. All such Christian epics were in the vernacular, each containing local variations to suit the tastes of the different audiences. The performance of these plays in the vernacular, laced with wit and humour and staged on lavishly decorated waggons, became the highlight of the Feast of Corpus Christi, later stretching over three days at Whitsuntide.

Few town guilds in medieval Britain were able to afford such pageantry but of those who did, original scripts survive from only five cities, Chester's being the most complete in existence with a near-complete text of 24 plays.

Although first performed from the 13th century as Cycle Plays by monks or members of the clergy, such direct association of any bawdiness or vulgarity to the Church became frowned upon and this was stopped in the 14th century. The rather less sensitive Guilds took over, but for the post-reformation Protestant Church the Plays and all that went with them were too much to tolerate, and ultimately they were banned. Chester was the last to concede in 1578 and so became the longest-running cycle in medieval times.