Around Coventry.
Coventry Mummers, for many years, performed three Christmas Plays in the week before Christmas and the Stoneleigh Play on the 26th December.
Each play was performed in and around its home village with as little tampering as possible, sticking to collected costume details where known and with Coventry Mummers acting as custodians of the tradition.
The plays of Harborough Magna, Newbold on Avon, Bishop's Tachbrook and Stoneleigh were originally performed by members of the village community in homes, halls, pubs or streets. Amongst the many ritual elements in the plays, the most common theme is death and rebirth. Over the years, the plays evolved to be unique to each village, although a common origin is evident. Coventry Mummers maintained these traditions, by performing each of these plays in their ’home village', at Yuletide. The plays are performed with as little tampering as possible, preferably featuring local residents and sticking to collected costume details where known. They do not use scenery, sets, special lighting or amplification but feature colourful costumes, spectacular weapons and a fair helping of humour.
The Harborough Magna play originates from a village of that name, north of Rugby and was collected from Arthur Skeet, a former member of the Harborough Magna cast. Since 1978, the play has been performed by the Coventry Mummers, usually on the Friday before Christmas and frequently at 8 or 9 venues.
The play from Newbold on Avon (north of Rugby, Warwickshire) was published in June 1899 in the journal of the Folk Lore Society. It was revived by the Coventry Mummers in 1976 and performed every year since then at about six venues, both private and public houses throughout the village.
To the south of Leamington Spa, the village of Bishop's Tachbrook created a play that for many years was lost but a copy was discovered in an American collection by Ron Shuttleworth (founder member of the Coventry Mummers), and was revived in the latter half of the last century. The play was generally performed at five venues, starting in Bishop's Tachbrook and then moving to adjacent villages and was performed at the school, the church, the pub, thy club and outside the homes of local residents. Coventry Mummers would welcome invitations to perform at such venues.
The local historian Mary Dormer Harris published the Stoneleigh play in ‘Notes and Queries’, 1925. She collected the play from a man who had appeared in the play as the Doctor. The play was revived by the Coventry Mummers in 1975 and has been performed in the village ever since. It is also performed in Ashow followed by five venues in Stoneleigh on December 26th.
Full details of this year’s performances can be found here
For information about bookings please Contact us here.