Staging Conventions in Medieval English Theatre

Abstract

How was medieval English theatre performed? Many of the modern theatrical concepts and terms used today to discuss the nature of medieval English theatre were never used in medieval times. Concepts and terms such as character, characterisation, truth and belief, costume, acting style, amateur, professional, stage directions, effects and special effects are all examples of post-medieval terms that have been applied to the English theatre. Little has been written about staging conventions in the performance of medieval English theatre and the identity and value of these conventions has often been overlooked. In this book, Philip Butterworth analyses dormant evidence of theatrical processes such as casting, doubling of parts, rehearsing, memorising, cueing, entering, exiting, playing, expounding, prompting, delivering effects, timing, hearing, seeing and responding. All these concerns point to a very different kind of theatre to the naturalistic theatre produced today.

Patronage, Performativity, and Ideas of Corpus Christi

“…There is, however, a difference between performativity, describing the whole culture's construction of its public face, and actual performance, as in the contract between players and audience of 'agreed pretence' that marks out theatre in its narrower sense. 29 Actual dramatic performances of the same period reinforce the growing picture I am developing of the cultural moment. Historical accounts relate that there is a large number of courtly interludes of a generally humanist complexion, not to mention scholars' plays from the Universities, but most are in fact much later than the period in focus here.…”

Thereby Hangs a Tail: Jonson’s The Devil Is an Ass and Stage Representations of Devil-Servants

“…Early modern dramaturgy relied heavily on costume to provide visual cues to the audience about a character's type and social status, a practice that was made all the more necessary by doubling of roles. 25 If a character did change costume, playwrights had to ensure their audiences understood that the actor appearing onstage in different clothing was still playing the same character, a requirement achieved either by having the actor change onstage, or having the character or other characters announce the change either before it happens or as soon as they next appeared. 26 Jonson comically references this use of costume as an index to character when he has Fitzdottrel examine Pug's feet 'over and over' because he believes the roses attached to Pug's (women's) shoes are 'big enough to hide a cloven foot' (1.3.9 sd; 1.3.9).…”