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4.2.1 Setting the scene for Shakespeare: how theatre found its golden age Pete, you can play third shepherd… Perhaps the origins of British theatre lie around the fire, with some hammy minstrel giving his all to the drama of Beowulf But who knows – maybe they just delivered it deadpan instead Liturgical dramas, played out from the tenth century onward, offer more solid evidence for theatre Monks turned ritual into theatre, aware that the people were more likely to grasp scripture when it was acted out The Passion (at Easter), Magi (Christmas) and Annunciation (March) were all regularly performed Liturgical drama in church became commonplace in the Norman era, shaped increasingly into structured plays Guilds began taking over the acting duties, the laymen working with the Church to get the narrative right The lives of saints also made for popular drama, although the Reformation left few extant saints’ plays While Christianity loomed large in early medieval theatre, it didn’t monopolise completely: often, the old pagan rituals were woven into biblical stories You couldn’t, for example, guarantee that a priest wouldn’t process down the village street carrying a large (fake) phallus, incorporating an old pagan fertility rite into the Easter pageant Theatre, the new rock ‘n’ roll By the 15th century, drama was an important part of British cultural life (even while staging was still a relatively ad hoc affair) with performances delivered in everyday spaces rather than dedicated theatres Venues might include the village church, a market place or patch of open ground Northern England was particularly fond of processional theatre in the summer, with the action carried or wheeled through town on a series of mini stages In winter, theatre moved indoors, sometimes staged in the local manor house where the gentry would be seated at a high table at one end of the hall and the plebs sat and stood at the other In all instances, the drama was less ‘them and us’ than today; the audience would often become involved in the play, and local figures were frequently characterised on stage 186 Identity: the foundations of British culture Literature and philosophy Art, architecture and design Performing arts Cinema, photography and fashion Media and communications Food and drink Living culture: the state of modern Britain