York Mystery Plays and the YMPST

Supporting and maintaining the community tradition of the Mystery Plays in the city of York.

The York Mystery Plays are a cycle of 48 pageants (individual plays) covering biblical events from Creation to the Last Judgement.  Other Mystery Play cycles exist but York stands out as having the most complete.

We brought forth The Baptism play in Holy Trinity in 2023 as part of the Goodramgate festival. It even featured in Great Railway Journeys.

In 2024 we’ve helped three new directors put on A Creation for York, and produced another A Nativity for York at Christmas, this time touring around the York area.

We staged our first wagon in 2014 (directed by Simon Tompsett) and have put on wagons again in 2018 and 2022. We also regularly produce A Nativity for York, taking a different approach every time in 2019, 2022 and 2024. Finally we have produced other performances in and around York, including a Creation, a Baptism and a Resurrection. See the YMPST Productions page for details including videos of many of the performances.

YMPST was set up after the 2012 York Mystery Plays in Museum Gardens. We are a charitable incorporated organisation which exists to advance the education of the public in the medieval Mystery Plays of York.

Find out more about the YMPST, its goals and what it has achieved so far.

Discover the benefits of membership and how you can join the YMPST.

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