176: Exploring: N-Town, Plays 21 to 23 (Doctors, Baptism, Temptation)

Beyond Shakespeare

Exploring: The N-Town Play, a slow burn look at a medieval Mystery (sort of) cycle. The N-Town Play comes to us as a single manuscript, but it's a compilation of various different sources - including elements from what looks like a cycle and various other large scale productions focusing on episodes from the Bible.
The journey continues with plays twenty-one to twenty-three - looking at the early life of Jesus with his encounter with the Doctors, his Baptism and Temptation in the wilderness.
The Beyond Shakespeare Irregulars this episode were Eric Karoulla as First Doctor, Beliall; Liza Graham as Second Doctor, Satan; Alan Scott as Joseph, Jesus in the Baptism; Lynn Freitas as Jesus in the Doctors play, John Baptist; Helen Good as Maria, Jesus in the Temptation; Rachael Nicole as Deus, Belsabub.
There are various online and purchasable versions of these texts available - here's a good one, but is in the original middle English and might put you off - others should be hunted for to taste.
Play texts start here: https://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/sugano-n-town-plays-play-21-christ-and-the-doctors
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The Beyond Shakespeare Podcast is hosted and produced by Robert Crighton.