Have you heard of pace-eggers, soulers, tipteerers, wren-boys, galoshins or guisers? These are all old words from around the country for mummers.
Mummers are groups of amateur actors who have performed seasonal plays across the British Isles since Medieval Times. No scripts have survived and some of the plays may have been mimed which means that they were wordless anyway. Incidentally they should not be confused with the earlier Mystery Plays.
Trinity Players performed their Mummers’ Play of St. George in Bell Court in Stratford-upon-Avon on 12th December 2021 and it was very well received, especially by the younger members of the audience. That is not too surprising because the story involves a great deal of sword-play with “real” swords and halfway through the piece two dead bodies litter the stage. Indeed, one young audience member expressed his excitement so enthusiastically and joined in with the cheers and boos so vocally that Director Ursula would like to know who he is so that she can give him a free ticket to every production by Trinity Players in perpetuity.
Many thanks to James Willetts and his wife, Liz, for filming the play and further thanks to James for turning it into a piece on U-tube. He provided me with the photos too!
Watch it on the link below. You’ll enjoy it I’m sure!
The Holy Trinity Play of St George
There’s no need to fear the carnage, however, because the Quack Doctor or a similar personage is always on hand to bring the fallen back to life (for a fee of course). The health worker in this version was an Old Woman played by Margot but not only that, she was a WISE Old Woman and don’t you doubt it.
A Mummers’ Play also needs a HERO to represent GOOD (Teenage Heart-Throb, Saul, as St George) and a VILLAIN to represent BAD (All-round Character Actor, Mark, as the Black Prince). Representing FOLKLORE is Old Father Christmas (Player of Many Parts and all-round Good Speaker, Brian). THE FOOL has also to make an appearance and doubles here as THE KING OF EGYPT (Veteran Performer and Quinton’s own Pantomime Dame, John).
