Medieval Plays and Drama

Plays and drama during the Medieval time greatly reflected people's personal experiences and stories of their own lives. Due to the broad sharing of the story teller's life this only reflected the limited knowledge of the people in their villages. These performances were produced by the common people living in England, involved in the Christian Church. Along with religious views, more subtle political, economical aspects were often woven in to the plays.
There were three defined types or cycles of plays that were created. Among the three was 'mystery' plays which were mainly centered around Christ and various aspects and theories relating to the topic. 'Miracle' plays were performences which included lives of saints, often historical and legendary. And lastly, 'Mortality' plays which often included the common man's struggle through life and hopes of salvation. Though some performences branched off from these three main catigories due to personal experiences and preferences, the majority of Middle Aged drama were centered around these three religious aspects.
Due to the involvement of members from the Christian church the plays were chiefly focused on Christian views. Religion was a main focus due to the extreme involvement citizens had in the Christian community. Often the plays were held in churches alongside large stained glass windows which portrayed religious figures and scenes to the, primarily, illiterate crowd. Often large religious celebrations such as Christmas and Easter were reasons to conduct larger productions.
Often the more educated members of society and community leaders would make use of plays to advise the illiterate with a better understanding of key concepts in the Christian church. The speaker would dramatically perform the important aspects of certain significant concepts. Not only would the crowd gain better understanding of the concept but they would also acquire more appreciation for their surroundings.
A very well known celebration that included large Middle Age plays was the ‘Corpus Christi Pageant’ (Latin for the Body of Christ). This was a feast held in celebration of the body of Christ which included outdoor theatrical performances in the city of York, England. Numerous religious plays were presented that came together to signify the story of Christian salvation. This gathering of costumes, music, and choir of voices was often held on a Thursday in late spring, nearly two months after Easter. This celebration of the real presences of Christ was a yearly happening and included large decorative wagons from which the plays were performed.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/resources/PSim/yorkintro.html#feast

http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/medievaldrama.htm