The York Crucifixion

Against the iconic backdrop of Durham Cathedral, York’s Worshipful Company of Butchers in conjunction with St Chad’s and the York Festival Trust presented a combined version of two plays from the York Cycle of Mystery Plays.

Performed on a custom-built wagon based on textual clues from the medieval script, this told the story of the last hours of Christ and the immediate aftermath of his death. This literally iconic play retains members of the cast across several years through multiple interpretations. As such it highlights two communities, the soldiers and the disciples. While the disciples are strengthened by Christ as a family and fellowship, the soldiers find their squad fragmenting. In this way the Play of the Crucifixion becomes a testament of renewal and rebirth, for us as individuals and as a community.