Adventures in hell: Renaissance Center Theater Company revives medieval mystery play

By Bonnie Wells
Staff Writer

Published on November 20, 2009

Revivals have always been a feature of the Broadway stage. But the Renaissance Center Theater Company in Amherst brings a whole new time dimension to the term.

Just now the company is looking for some 15 people to join in performing "The Harrowing of Hell," one of 20 short plays in what is called the Chester Cycle of mystery plays, based on biblical texts, which are thought to date to the mid-1300s in England.

The full cycle, one of four such known cycles, - three of which are named for the English villages in which they were performed - recounts the history of the sacred universe, from the creation of the angels and the fall of Lucifer to the Last Judgement. The company plans to travel to Toronto in late May to participate in a three-day presentation of the full Chester Cycle, along with theater companies from the U.S., Canada and beyond.

The gathering is hosted by the Poculi Ludique Societas, a producer of early drama that is associated with the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto, and a collaborator with the Centre for Research in Early English Drama (REED) there.

The precise origin of the plays has been a matter of some debate among scholars, said Valerie Gramling, an instructor and doctoral candidate in medieval English literature at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. What is known is that they developed as part of the Catholic Church's celebration of the body of Christ on the Feast of Corpus Christi.

"The thinking now is that they started in the 1200s, when there would be parades in which they would elevate the host, the communion wafer, and carry it around town," she said. "As the tradition continued, the parades became more elaborate, including wagons with tableaus [of scenes from the Bible]."

At some point, she says, the tableaus moved to action. And the plays became the forerunners of English drama.

"To study this period is to understand how What's the nature of heaven and hell?"

The difference? "They'd have believed that there were answers," Gramling said, "and that those answers could be found in the church."

Gramling, who is currently directing the company in rehearsal for the medieval morality play "Everyman," set for a mid-February production at UMass, will direct "The Harrowing of Hell" in a performance in early May at the center and, later that month, in Toronto.

Crucifixion to resurrection

The 30-minute play is the 16th in the 20-play Chester Cycle, and unlike most of the others, it's an apocryphal story, one not found in the Bible. The plot is an imagined narrative, accounting for Jesus' activities during the three days from crucifixion to resurrection, when, according to the church's Apostle's Creed, Jesus descended into hell, before ascending to heaven.

In the play, Jesus essentially makes a raid on hell and liberates Adam, Isaiah, John the Baptist and several other biblical luminaries under Satan's nose. Or as Gramling puts it, "Basically he tells the devil, 'I'm taking them out of here,'" with a little help from his friend, the archangel Michael.

"It should be lots of fun," said Kidder, "lots of devils and temptations."

"These were celebrations of community," adds Gramling. "One of the nice things about bringing it together in Toronto is that it's very much about community. It's not too far from Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney saying, 'Let's put on a show.'"

One of Gramling's tasks as director is to make the play as truthful to the material and period as possible. For example, in the stagecraft of the Middle Ages, the lighting would be handheld. And the players performed, as will the company in Toronto, from pageant wagons outdoors, so there are no convenient entrances and exits. But in one concession to the 21st century, all the plays have been translated from the middle English by REED scholar Alexandra Johnson.

One thing that may surprise: "There's a lot more humor, a lot more wit than people associate with the Middle Ages," Gramling said. "The devil has the best role."

Those interested in participating in the production can contact Gramling at vgramling@english.umass.edu. For more information on the project and other Renaissance Center events, visit the Web site www.umass.ed/renaissance