What are Mystery Plays ?

A Mystery Play is a mediaeval religious dramatisation of a story from the Bible. Mystery plays were performed at religious or church festivals and were most common in the 15th and 16th Century. When a collection of mystery plays running from the Creation through to the Last Judgement are performed together they form the Mystery Cycle.

In medieval times, mystery cycles formed the centrepiece of popular day-long festivals enjoyed by hundreds of people. The mystery plays themselves were performed by local craftsman’s guilds (or mysteries) who would compete with each other to produce the best play.

The Lichfield Mystery Plays present medieval mystery plays as they were originally conceived, with three performances of each play taking place on separate stages in the Market Place, Stowe Fields and finally in the Cathedral.

As each play finishes, the cast moves off in procession to the next stage and another play starts on the stage until the whole mystery cycle is completed on each of the three stages.

The plays are performed by groups who come from local organisations including schools, social clubs societies, churches and performing groups as well as groups of individuals who get together to form a single play.

The whole event involves hundreds of local people and is watched on the three stages by thousands of visitors from near and far.



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