A Creation for York – 1 June 2024

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Directed by three enthusiastic new directors, these iconic plays, written in the 14^th century, were each performed twice during the afternoon of Saturday 1 June 2024.

• The Creation: St Columba’s, Priory Street: 2 pm and 3.30 pm (Plays 1, 2, and 3 combined)
• The Fall of Man: Holy Trinity, Micklegate: 3pm and 4.30 pm (Plays 5 and 6 combined)
• Cain and Abel: St Martin’s Stained Glass Centre:  4 pm and 5.30 pm (Play 7)

The plays were again performed at Hartrigg Oaks, which was filmed. The video from our YouTube channel is below.

You can also download the programme by clicking the banner below.

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Dan Norman

Dan moved to York in 2020. He is a writer, mostly writing stories about human relationships for the stage and screen. Though he has directed a couple of short films, this will be his first time directing theatre. He’s delighted to be a part of the grand tradition of the York Mystery Plays, and excited about the challenge in the months ahead.

Isobel Staton

I have a long-standing interest in and commitment to theatre and medieval history. I moved to York in 2017, where I studied for an MA in Medieval Studies before completing a PhD in Medieval History this year. I am now enjoying my new role as the Special Collections Assistant at the Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre. I have been involved in theatre since childhood, when I followed my parents to their rehearsals. Since then, I have enjoyed myself both on the stage and behind it – acting, singing, dancing, and prop- and costume-making. I joined the Lords of Misrule when I moved to York, and with them I have performed and helped to stage medieval plays, including two York Mystery Plays. It was with Lords that I had my first opportunity to direct: during the pandemic I adapted and directed an audio version of ‘Everyman’, and this gave me a taste for bringing words to life, collaborating with actors, and using sound and music to give meaning and vitality to an old text for a new audience.

I am really looking forward to being a YMPST Director and taking on the challenge of staging ‘Cain and Abel’. It will give me the opportunity to draw together several important strands of my life, and I hope that my knowledge of medieval agriculture and rural society will enrich my interpretation. With the support of YMPST’s experienced producers and mentor-director, I am excited to become part of the long history of these iconic plays.

Katie Smith

“I am currently studying for a Masters in English Literary Studies at the University of York. Before that, I studied Acting at Plymouth Conservatoire, performing in plays such as ‘Selection’ at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, and ‘Carnations: Behind the Picket Line’ at The House, Plymouth, as well as writing and developing my own work. I have a particular interest in historical, mythological, and traditional theatre, and am really looking forward to being involved with the York Mystery Plays.”