In September of 2018 I participated in the York Mystery Plays. These are a collection of medieval plays retelling stories from the Bible. The plays are performed on wagons which travel around the city of York every four years. The performers on each wagon represent a different part of the city’s community.
Each time the wagon plays are performed the York St John University Drama department are given one of these wagons. I was fortunate enough to be studying at the university in 2018 when they were given the play The Remorse of Judas, directed by Alexander Kaniewski. I played the titular role of Judas who, regretting his choice to betray Jesus, appeals to Pontius Pilate to set him free.
Playing this role presented new challenges to me as a performer. As we were performing the piece in the same promenade and style of pageant wagon which would have been used when the plays were initially conceived, I had to act with an emphasised use of voice and gesture in order to make my performance a sense of presence in the busy public space. This style of acting also helped to make the potentially alienating medieval text connect with a modern audience. I believe that we were successful in achieving this, with York St John’s play and my performance receiving some of the highest praise of the whole event.
The York St John University players provide one of the most imaginative and technically accomplished productions with set, costumes, ensemble and lead performances all extremely strong. Harry Murdoch’s Judas and Bronte Hobson’s Pilate were highlights of the day.
Stephen Longstaffe (2018)
