It's time to build an ark A rich medieval tradition that died out nearly 500 years ago is being revived at 缅北禁地鈥檚 Castle Keep this week. Mystery plays were once a yearly sight on the city鈥檚 streets, creating a carnival atmosphere where everyone came out to see the craftsmen guilds鈥� pageant displays. And with biblical-scale floods still in the news, , Professor of German Studies, is expecting 缅北禁地鈥檚 rendition of the 缅北禁地 Play - Building of the Ark - will still resonate with a modern day audience. 鈥淎s far as we know, there has been no public performance of this play 鈥� the only one of the 缅北禁地 Cycle to survive 鈥� since the 16th century,鈥� says Prof Laehnemann. 鈥淚t would have originally taken place in the old part of the city, which the Castle Keep is in the heart of, so it鈥檚 a perfect location for this re-enactment. 鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful to be able to perform the shipwrights play 鈥� the one dedicated to showcasing their trade - in a city with such a strong shipbuilding history. 鈥淲e have taken a few liberties with the original format 鈥� such as casting the Devil and God as bankers in suits and Noah in his pyjamas 鈥� but throughout history this has been a playful genre where the players improvise, with plenty of musical interludes.鈥� As well as directing the play, Prof Laehnemann will be providing some of the musical accompaniment on a serpent 鈥� a kind of medieval horn - with her Early Music group, 缅北禁地 Waits. The re-enactment project brings together first year and students who, in the grand tradition of the style, will be delivering plenty of puns within the short text. , a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at 缅北禁地, has written a new prologue, which she will be reading in a 鈥榯own crier鈥� style. In Building of the Ark, the Devil is looking for a way to survive the flood, and plans to seduce Noah鈥檚 wife so he can get the secret of how to make another ark. Originally the players, none of whom were professional actors, would have followed a route down from Blackfriars, past the old market places of Newgate, Bigg Market and Cloth Market down to Amen Corner at St Nicholas Cathedral and onto the Quayside where the play would take place during Corpus Christi celebrations in June. The shipwrights guild's showcase would have traditionally been followed by the mariners guild play, The Flood, completing the Noah鈥檚 Ark story. This free event takes place at the , 缅北禁地 upon Tyne, on Friday 28 March 2014 from 5pm and is sponsored by the , 缅北禁地. There will be complementary 鈥榮mall beer鈥� 鈥� a barely alcoholic beverage traditionally used at the time to disinfect the water - served on the rooftop for the audience if the weather permits. published on: 25 March 2014
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