The Players of St Peter

The Players of St Peter is an amateur drama group that presents medieval mystery plays in the City of London (our current venue is actually just outside the City, at St George-in-the-East Church, Shadwell). Our productions are drawn by turn from the four main surviving mystery-play cycles (Wakefield, York, Chester and N-towne, aka Corpus Christi) and happen in the first week of December (or the last of November if the December week is unavailable for any reason). The mystery cycles were thriving in England from before the time of Chaucer (he mentions them in the Miller's Tale) but died out with the Reformation. With a few concessions to modern comforts (electric lights, central heating), we try to present them much as they would have appeared 500 years ago, adapting and editing the text only for length and clarity. They consist of bible stories, ranging from the creation to Christ's nativity and beyond, and in tone from the spiritual to the earthy. They were originally presented by the trade guilds in centres around the country (the word "mystery" carries the old meaning of a vocation or craft) on wagons for the feast of Corpus Christi. NB: We are not a company but a society. The reference to "company size" below is actually an indication of the number of active members; we have no employees.