The Digby Plays (1272-83) - translated by Matthew Sergi

 

Dame Sirith

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Dame Margery is left at her Inn, whilst her husband is out of town running errands. A knight named Wilkin wants to woo this married woman, but she is having none of it. Rumour has it that Old Dame Sirith can help the knight win her love.​

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[Adapted from Dame Sirith in The Trials and Joys of Marriage, ed. Salisbury, 2002 TEAMS, alongside the 2010 Treharne version:]

 

The Fox and The Wolf

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A Fox makes his way into a hen house to satisfy his hunger and then into a well to satisfy his thirst. The Fox is trapped in the well and must trick his neighbour the Wolf into switching places with him. The moral; be careful where you place your trust.​

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[Adapted from The Fox and the Wolf in the Well, ed. McKnight, from Middle English Humourous Tales in Verse, as digitized at the University of Michigan Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse, alongside 2010 Treharne version:]

 

The York Mystery Plays (14th Century) - a modernization by Chester N. Scoville and Kimberley M. Yates (2003)

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("Mystery" meaning both a miracle, and its middle english meaning of a trade or craft. Each story would be performed by a specific group of tradesmen)

 

The Smiths’ Play - The Temptation

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The Devil plots to corrupt a so-called “prophet”, who has fasted 40 days in the wilderness. He presents the prophet with 3 temptations. The Devil realizes too late, that Jesus is not just a prophet, but the son of God.

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The Pinners’ Play - The Crucifixion

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Two workers struggle to finish their crucifixion on time. They’ve started too late, one of them is incredibly lazy, and the cross wasn’t even drilled properly.​

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(Further modifications have been made to the text by CMLTheatre to accommodate a cast of 3)

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The Canterbury Tales (c.1400) - dramatized by CMLTheatre

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Chaucer's Crow (The Manciple's Tale)

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Phebus's Wife is having an affair and Phebus's pet Crow sees all. The Crow tells his lord and Phebus, in his anger, wreaks havoc. The three characters fight to tell their side of the story.

 

An epilogue has been added, which compiles 15th century songs about crows by authors unknown. 

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