IMC 2011: Sessions

Session 1319: The Revival of Medieval Drama and Cultural Transformation

Sponsor:	Medieval & Renaissance Drama Society
Organiser:	Pamela M. King, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Bristol
Moderator/Chair:	Alexandra F. Johnston, Records of Early English Drama, University of Toronto, Downtown
Paper 1319-a	Medieval Mystery Plays in 1951: A Year to Remember (Language: English) Margaret Rogerson, Department of English, University of Sydney Index terms: Anthropology, Performance Arts - Drama, Political Thought, Religious Life
Paper 1319-b	The Mysteries and the Idea of the Working Class (Language: English) Pamela M. King, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Bristol Index terms: Anthropology, Performance Arts - Drama, Political Thought, Religious Life
Abstract	The 20th century saw the revival and reinvention of English religious drama, initially in open defiance of censorship conventions which had kept God off the stage for almost three hundred years. Many of the most ambitious and acclaimed productions have sought to use these plays to mark moments of cultural change across the Anglophone world, celebrating peace in the climate of post-war hardship, and cementing unity and amity in challenged or repressed communities. This session will focus on some individual instances, considering the appeal of medieval guild drama as a platform for expressing celebration and protest.