The Black Abbey Church is celebrating 800 years in Kilkenny this year. To celebrate this incredible birthday, the Priory and members of the Abbey are preparing various celebrations to mark the occasion. One idea is to resurrect the performance of a mystery play, to be performed at the church. Lake Productions have adapted some of the text from the bible to suit a theatre production, and will stage it for three nights in September. Such plays were performed in Kilkenny many years ago, although they would have been performed on the streets.
Lake Productions have engaged the help of Kilkenny writer John Morton as script writer and Darren Donohoe as director, while over 30 performers from various drama groups will take part. The show will be complemented by the appearance of The Kilkenny Gospel choir, who themselves celebrate their twenty fifth anniversary this year.
Religious plays
These religious or mystery plays originated in the wish of the clergy to substitute for the profane games with which the people were amused. The plays, whilst giving entertainment, would also inculcate a moral lesson to the people. They were at first performed in churches and by members of religious communities, but gradually were performed in the open air around the 13th century, and soon the characters were performed by the young men of the various trades.
Plays were no doubt performed in Kilkenny but the earliest recorded date is August 20th 1552, when two of Bishops Bales’ plays were performed. Bale himself recorded “The young men in the fore noon played a tragedy of God’s Promises,” at the Market Cross. In the afternoon they played St John’s Preachings of Christ’s Baptism. Festivals such as Easter and Christmas were usually selected for the performances. The Corporation in 1610 ordered that Corpus Christi be celebrated and carpenters be employed to make rails for keeping out horses and mobs. In July of the same year the Corporation allowed a salary of 20s for allowing the apparel used by players on Corpus Christi and the Resurrection. A sum of £3-13s-4d was granted to William Consey in 1631 for teaching the children of the natives to read and write for the play on Corpus Christi. Why the Corporation should patronise the plays is obvious for they not only helped to draw people away from other modes of recreation regarded as evil, but drew greater attendance to the Corpus Christi Fair and thereby increased the trade of the City.
The mysteries or plays continued to be performed in Kilkenny until 1650 when they were discontinued and put down as offensive to the Cromwellians who had settled in the City.
Director – Darren Donohue
Darren has written several plays and readings for the Abbey Theatre and for Theatre Festivals all around the world. He won the Bread and Roses Playwriting Award, 2019 and the Radius Playwriting Competition, 2020 in association with Finborough Theatre. This month he was awarded the prestigious Dennis O’Driscoll Literary Award, 2020.
His monologue The Bird Trap won a seed commission with Popelei Theatre Company and was broadcast as part of their Women In Lockdown project.
Darren is currently artist-in-residence with the Science Gallery, Trinity College supported by the Provost’s Academic Development Fund and is developing a new play with Druid Theatre Company.
Script writer – John Morton
lays include Denouement (Lyric Theatre), Taboo (White Label), War Of Attrition, Scratcher, Smitten, Heart Shaped Vinyl (Devious Theatre) as well as The Roaring Banshees and The Hellfire Squad, co-written with Peter McGann. He also wrote the stage adaptation of Thomas Kilroy’s novel The Big Chapel (Asylum/AbbeyTheatre/Kilkenny Arts Festival). Other work includes the community theatre projects Home Theatre Ireland (Dublin Theatre Festival) and Bridge Street Will Be (Equinox/Asylum).
TV work includes the acclaimed series Dead Still for which he won an Edgar Award and was nominated for an IFTA. Writing for radio includes Tenterhooks (Near FM), The First Puck (CRKC FM, GAA McNamee Award Winner), the detective serial Vultures (KCLR 96FM), 100 Everyday Menaces (IMRO Award/PJ O’Connor Award Winner) and an adaptation of The War Of The Worlds (IMRO Award Winner)
The Man Born to be King, adapted for stage by John Morton, is directed by Darren Donohoe.
This show has been made possible by the sponsorship of The Kilkenny Public Commemoration scheme 2025, in association with Kilkenny County Council.
Presented by Lake Productions, it will run at the Black Abbey from 9th – 11th September. Booking is through eventbrite.
