Mummers’ Plays Revisited

Mummers’ plays – and much folk performance – has too often been approached as though it were entirely separate from a wider performance culture. Today’s talk and discussion will therefore focus on those 18th century theatre and performance trends that shaped the early years of the mummers’ play. These include the attachment of pantomime to the Christmas season, the fashion for private theatricals, the ‘spouting’ craze, the availability of chapbook texts, and the example of strolling players.