What are Lichfield Mysteries ?

Lichfield Mysteries is a community-based arts project, we believe the largest such event in England to be free of charge to participants and spectators. Every third year we offer, on each of two days, 27 plays, each produced by a different local group.

In 2012 on each day, each play will be performed twice, first outdoors in the Market Square and then inside Lichfield Cathedral. There will also be a mobile stage performing chosen plays around the district.

The next performances will take place on Saturday and Sunday, 6th & 7th May 2012, a little earlier this year to avoid a clash with the Olympics.

The tradition of Mystery Plays goes back to medieval times, and they were most common in the 15th and 16th centuries. Each play was adopted by of one of the Guilds of merchants, who would vie with each other for the excellence of performance.

Today the performing groups include schools, social and drama groups, as well as individuals who get together for the occasion. Each play is a self contained episode of the overall story. The finàle takes place in the Cathedral alone and involves actors from many of the other plays in the spectacular performance.

The whole event involves over 600 hundred participants and thousands of spectators. Our current text was put together by Robert Leach for the first modern performance in 1994, incorporating surviving fragments of Lichfield's medieval plays as well as some from other cycles.


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