Mummers Play at the Morley Arms 13th Dec 2013 (c) The Plymouth Morris Men Dec 2013
Channel: Plymouthmorrismen2
Date: 2013-12-15

The Plymouth Mummers
 
The Prompt says:-
Their play takes place in the reign of Elizabeth the 1st and involves the dastardly King of Spain the celebrated and victorious Francis Drake not to mention Walter McRaleigh, Old father Christmas and of course The Doctor. 
 It is based on a text by Andy Folkes and Paul Hawkins of the Titchfield Mummers, acquired from the Wickham Morris (http://www.wickham-morris.org.uk/) by Julian Kohler and Transcribed with the addition of the original stage directions by Tim Ingram, the wording has been modified to reflect the actual phrasing used by the cast.  
The Prologue verses were written by John Summerscales (13 December 2005). 

The stage directions and modifications to the script are on going and are by members of the cast. 

The Raleigh's Cigarette section acknowledges the inspiration of Bob Newhart's monologue (http://www.monologues.co.uk/Bob_Newhart/Tobacco.htm).  

The fight scene owes it's format to the "Monty Python" fish sketch.

The first public performance was for "Peninsula Arts/Plymouth Folk Festival" at the Sherwell Centre on Wednesday 14 December 2005,and has been performed at various locations in and around Plymouth ever since in the run up to The winter solstice.

Cast in order of appearance:

• Prologue/Prompt  John Summerscales
• Father Christmas  Mike Frost
• Walter McRaleigh  Joe Cumming
• Queen Elizabeth  Andy King
• Francis Drake          Ray Newnham
• King of Spain          Dan Shearer
• The Doctor   Little Jeff

More information about The Plymouth Mummers and how to book them is obtainable from:- our Bagman   Email joe.cumming@btopenworld.com

            Or our web site www.plymouthmorrismen.org.uk/
 
                            Background to the Mumming tradition
Researched by John Summerscales.

The central dramatic theme of mummers plays revolves around the killing of one or more adversaries by a self-proclaimed warrior and their subsequent revival by a comic doctor.  The recurring theme of death and revival has led to the plays being seen as debased fertility rites of non-Christian or pre-Christian origin [1].

Mumming can be traced back at least as far as 1408..  Mumming occurs in Symondsbury (Dorset) on New Years Day, Norwich on St Georges Day, Snowshill (Glos) on St Barnabas Day - 11 June, during rush-bearing in the Pennines, Michaelmas Eve (28/9) in the Hebrides, in the Celtic Hallowe'en play "Galoshan", in the Cheshire soul-caking on All Souls' Day (2/11), but mostly in the weeks around Christmas.  The custom was so widespread, and the costumes so outrageous, that a plot to murder Henry IV by a gang disguised as mummers was only narrowly foiled. [2].

The tradition also survives as pace-egging - performed at Easter - formerly in the NW but more recently it, perhaps, survives best around Mytholmroyd in the Calder Valley (West Yorkshire). 

References:
•1: Bob Pegg: Rites and Rituals - Folk Customs of Britain and Europe, Blandford Press, Poole, 1981.  ISBN 0-7137-0997-9.
•2: Quentin Cooper and Paul Sullivan: Maypoles, Martyrs and Mayhem, Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 1994.  ISBN 0-7475-1807-6.

The Plymouth Mummers are part of The Plymouth Morris Men who perform Traditional English Dance (Morris).
They also hold a Ceilidh each year on the Last Saturday of January, 2014's will be on the 25th.
Tickets are available from The Plymouth Morris Men at £8 each. Contact our Bagman for ticket availability.