By Pat Griffin
For a moment, just picture this:
Firstly, an iconic building steeped in 800 years of history, which has lived through turbulent times.
Secondly, imagine the presentation of a story which has resonated through the ages – a story which itself has emerged from some of history’s most dramatic events.
Merge both together and be prepared to experience a memorable performance by Lake Productions enactment of the Mystery Play, The Man Born to be King, in Kilkenny’s famous Dominican Black Abbey. This priory is itself a repository of history in every stone and pillar. It has lived through wars, revolts, religious persecutions, massacres, defacement and reconstruction. This year it also celebrates its 800th anniversary. It will be the perfect setting for this exciting presentation of a timeless story.
But just for now, let us step back a little and try to understand the significance of mystery and history presented to us. We need to go back through time to the 13th century when these Mystery Plays were at the height of their popularity. The term Mystery Play derives from the Latin word ministerium, meaning occupation, or the French word mestier which means craft or guild. These plays presented the great Biblical stories with which we are familiar, regardless of our religious convictions or affiliations: the moment of Creation – ‘Let there be light’: the first appearance of life on earth – Adam and Eve: the stories of downfall and redemption: the Biblical final times of the Last Judgement. In between are all the stories of mankind’s experiences of war and peace, famine and plenty, fall and rise. In other words, all human life is there.
Sprinkled throughout all of this vast mosaic of human existence are the miracles, the encounters between humanity and divinity and all that makes us the complex beings we are. But the presentation of these stories in the form of plays stirred up lots of unrest and controversy when they rose in popularity during the 13th century. These dramatisations used the ordinary everyday language of the people. This in turn moved them away from the formal structure of the sacred scrolls which formed the basis of the Biblical language and style with which we are more familiar.
But, deviating from the elegance of the earliest manuscripts depicting mankind’s relationship with something other worldly or divine, allowed other non-Biblical elements to creep in. New characters were invented and non-Biblical stories were added. This created a major decline in the religious nature of the stories. It was viewed as sacrilegious by church authorities and subsequently the established churches shunned the plays.
Pope Innocent III, enraged by what was happening, issued a papal edict forbidding clergy from acting in public places. This had the effect of moving the plays to non-religious venues. The original Latin texts had been changed to the vernacular, the language of the people, and this resulted in making the plays more accessible to all.
Despite the mayhem stirred up by their presentation, or maybe because of the unintended notice drawn to them, the plays rose in popularity and achieved what they set out to do – namely to bring these time-honoured stories to the people.
As recently as the Second World War, less than 100 years ago, BBC Radio created a furore when it produced a radio drama based on the life of Jesus. A major storm erupted, even before the play was broadcast. Believers from various religious persuasions as well as non-believers objected strenuously. Each blamed the other on a variety of issues. One of the main points of contention was the very idea that anyone would even dare to have real human beings impersonating Jesus and other members of the Gospel stories on stage.
So, as we can see from that brief potted summary of the Mystery Plays, they certainly caught the attention of the people. As we know, every play needs a suitable stage or theatre and Lake Productions could not have chosen a more suitable venue in which to perform The Man Born to be King, than Kilkenny’s Black Abbey.
This year this stunning Dominican Priory, whose beginnings date back to the 13th century, has seen more than its own share of drama. It was established in 1225, just 15 years after the above mentioned edict by Pope Innocent III. Now, in this stunning setting, we have the opportunity again to view a Mystery Play. You can witness a performance of the last dramatic weeks in the life of Jesus, with a cast of thirty players and a musical backdrop by The Kilkenny Gospel Choir, all in this most befitting location, the Black Abbey, where history and mystery meet.
The production has been made possible by the sponsorship of The Kilkenny Public Commemoration scheme 2025, in association with Kilkenny County Council.
‘The Man Born to be King’, was adapted for stage by John Morton, is directed by Darren Donohue and will run at the Black Abbey from September 9th to 11. Booking is through eventbrite.
