The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-12-16
Coventry Cycle
 and Miracle Play
To Be Presented at the First Baptist Church,
 Friday, Dec g

The Miracle Plays, as we know
 them to-day, had their origin in
 the 5th century, where ''living pie
 lures" or tabieaux were used in
 the church service to illustrate
 gospel narratives, accompanied by
 songs. Verse of text became added
 as connectives, and these first re-
 cited antiphonally by. the two
 halves of the choir led to dialogue
 with appropriate action accom-
 panying it. These so called 'tropes''
 developed into the spectacular,
 and in some measure, mimical Aad-
 juncts. (the lyrical accompaniment
 being retainedl which finally con-
 stituted. the ''liturgical mystery
 play. These were performed by
 priests in the churches in Latin. By the 11th century they had be-
 gun to be developed also in the
 vernacular.
 In England, where most of the
 miracle plays which we know to-
 day. originated, the term "mystcr-
 ies" was substituted by miracle"
 With the broadening of these plays into vernacular they were grad ually busted from the church ser- vice, and took refuge on the streets. where they were taken over by. guilds or trade unions.
 The various guilds of munich pality were given the right to per- form certain portions of the mir acle most fitted to their calling. Thus we read that in the Coventry Cycle (the play we are present. ang) the tailors and shearsmen were responsible for the presenta. 4fara Af 4kA =. nfn [. the Flight into Egypt. The cooks performed the scenes in hell, "be- cause they were used to taking termen had charge of the pageant ry of Noah's ark, the nailers and sawyers took over the massacre of the Innoccnts. Each guild vied with the others to make their par ticular pageant the finest to such an extent tha in 1539 we find an enry made by the mayor of Cov- entry 10 Cromwell, telling him that ''the poor commoners were at such expense with their plays and pageants they farcd the worse all the year after.'' Every member of a craft paid his pageant pencys, and any actor unfortunate enough to forget his lines was fined heav- fly. How this was possible is hard to conceive since a prompter with book in hand followed the play CT about and ''tclieth them softly what they must pronounced al- lowed."
 The costumes and properties be- came traditional and were very or- nate and were kept from year to year. A man was assigned the job of what we to-day would call pro- duction manager to repair and make new scrips to take care of lost os tattered ones.
 About the authorship of these plays we know but little. Origin- ally they were written by ecclcsias- tlcal men. but later were rewrit- ten by clerks. schpolmasters. actor authors or fellows of college. Tt was through them that the secular elements and "eomic relief" was woven into the pattern of the plays which remained. however. on the whole religious in nature. Tn fact tine comic clements were intro. duced more for dramatic relief, not as independent episodes. In the miracle of the taiiors and shcarsmen Herod and his fool are but f0ils. never heroes. The gen. eral tone is one of romantic beauty. It's primary appeal was to show the beauty of holiness and | the value of confrition.
 When the miracles left the l church they were played on sswaR- oBe." These were two story af- I fairs on six wheels. The lower half was used as q "tiring'' or dressing room. The upper plat form was the stage. open to the skies so ail could see the action from whatever vantage point. rooftep. window. tree or street curb. Each wagon was the locale of a certain portion of the whole cycle. which ranged from Creation fo Doormsday. The audience stood + in the streets at various squares and these wagons drawn by from eight to twelve men were moved about from place fo place. One wagon drew up. the scene was played. and it moved on to the next street. A second wagon was Drawn up. and so the whole drama Eas brought 10 the audienee's l.oers in the space Of two or three
 The audiences were not made ID i Df fFadespeople and commoners pIene. The sbearamen and faiiors play was witnessed ln fhia way by Do less persons than Henry v. Of Anjou. Richard I'll. lnd Henry WIT in Coventry.
 At later date these same mir. lrieH were presented in the bull Ilnfa and "sfations' set Up in the public squares. If lg thls place in heir development that the Little H rheater production will borrow. Al hIs time structures were erected ,n single platform to renresefi ! iie various acting iocaIes or Irenes. Instead of having scene 'hanses. they merely shifted their { Iase to a new locale Certain 'a