Can you create your own?
To help you get started, a modern-spelling script of this play can be downloaded by clicking here. *** Performance numbers: 16 speaking roles The twenty-fifth pageant makes up for the wider lack of attention to Jesus's ministry. It brings together a variety of events not associated in the biblical accounts - not only the famous donkey and the welcoming of Jesus to Jerusalem; but also his healing of the sick and the blind, meeting the tax-collector Zachaeus, hidden in the sycamore tree, and finally, Jesus's malediction as he predicts both his and Jerusalem's destruction. York's Micklegate Bar was the initial starting point for the pageants (with the waggons stored at neighbouring Toft Green). It also acted as the point of royal entry to the city. As such, the Entry to Jerusalem drew on the imagery of welcoming monarchs to York. The speeches made by the Burgesses echo those made to royal visitors, not least Richard II, who watched the pageants take place. It is unclear how the progression to each of the pageant's locations might have worked - was there a moving backdrop, or did the actors move between different points in the street? The Skinners Guild was responsible for performing the pageant. Might the donkey have been a living beast, or a puppet made of skins from their trade? The donkey used in the 2016 Minster Mysteries has gone on to have an interesting afterlife - spot Lord Donkeyhead on the streets of York in the sidebar! The play is based on the liturgy of Palm Sunday, and in part on Luke 19. *** The original script, in 15th Century Middle English, can be found here, courtesy of Prof. Clifford Davidson and the University of Rochester's TEAMS Middle English Text Series. |
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