A Creation for York – 1 June 2024
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Directed by three enthusiastic new directors, these iconic plays, written in the 14th century, will each be 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)
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Meet the directors…
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.”