I just now read on Wikipedia that in the late middle ages (1400 through 1550) most English plays would have dealt with bible stories. Would the people watching those plays have been allowed to shout and jeer like the audiences at Shakespeare's later, secular, plays supposedly did?

by grapp
rymenhild

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer:

There is a tradition of medieval religious drama that mostly revolves around the Christian host/sacrament during (and before and slightly after) the time period you provide. The most well-known of these plays are probably the York Corpus Christi plays, which were likely first performed in the fourteenth century in York, England. There are also one-off plays that are not part of a cycle, such as The Croxton Play of the Sacrament, a fifteenth-century anti-Jewish host play. Although they were religious in nature, they are likely not the solemn, devout affair we modern people think of when we think "religious play". In fact, these plays were often silly and full of slapstick comedy in order to draw audiences. Like Shakespeare's plays, they were written to attract audiences; unlike Shakespeare's plays, they were usually not held in a theatre.

The York cycles were held out of wagons at predetermined locations throughout the city, rather than on a stage. They were held in public areas, so it was necessary that the actors hold the attention of whatever audience members were in the vicinity at the time. Audience members were free to come and go as they pleased due to the open-air setting of the performance, so these plays needed to be inclusive. The plays were full of physical comedy and were often very "obvious" - for example, the Croxton Play begins with two characters introducing themselves, talking directly to the audience, with many easy-to-understand jokes peppered throughout their monologues. The comedy in these plays aimed to entice passing people to stay and watch and encouraged them to participate in the theatre. Many sort of "side comments" would easily have provoked audience members to agree or disagree loudly with the characters. Audience members were actively allowed to shout and jeer and laugh along at the performance. Even though the plays' themes were religious in nature, it doesn't mean that they were somber or had to be taken seriously.

Check out the TEAMS website's introduction to the York Cycle here, it's really informative.

Also, if you're interested in what the audience may have thought about plays like these and specifically the Croxton play, you might like to check out Robert L.A. Clark and Claire Sponsler's article “Othered Bodies: Racial Cross-Dressing in the Mistere de la Sainte Hostie and the Croxton Play of the Sacrament.”

  • Clark, Robert L.A., and Claire Sponsler. “Othered Bodies: Racial Cross-Dressing in the Mistere de la Sainte Hostie and the Croxton Play of the Sacrament.” Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies 29.1 (1999): 62-81. Web.