House of Revels

The origin of the Holy Cross, audience immersion and permenant outdoor theatre structures - the Middle Cornish Mystery Plays had it all!

Following on from Episode 14 (English Mystery Plays) we explore the wonderful theatre style that is Cornish Mystery Plays. Three Cornish mystery plays survive and together form the Ordinalia, which would have been performed across three consectutive days across medieval Cornwall. As well as exploring the elaborate and exciting staging of these Middle Cornish plays, we dive into the context of their origin, the decline of Cornish as a language and the imposition of English culture on Cornwall. PLUS where and when you can see the Ordinalia performed!  House of Revels roadtrip anyone?

We've reached the end of the first series of House of Revels! 15 magnificient and theatre history filled episodes. We'll be back very soon with series 2 but in the meantime get in touch with us! Is there something you think we should cover? A specific regional theatre practice or perhaps an obscure litergical drama? 

Join the revelry! We are on Instagram: @house_of_revels and Twitter, Youtube and  Facebook as @houseofrevels! Of course, you can email us at  [email protected]! We'll also be posting regular updates, shout outs and fun facts on the House of Revels social channels, so follow us to stay up to date!

It’s time to get mysterious... or is it? In episode 14 we explore the English Mystery Plays (also known as Mystery Cycles or Corpus Christi Plays). These plays portrayed the various biblical stories and were popular all over England (and Europe). We explore the extensive staging and prop usage in these plays (did someone say fire?) and learn about the elusive Wakefield Master. A new theatre style, a new set of plays... but will it join the House of Revels? Do you agree or disagree with our analysis and final decision? Join the revelry! We are on Instagram: @house_of_revels and Twitter, Youtube and Facebook as @houseofrevels! Of course, you can email us at [email protected]!

Episode 13 of House of Revels is here! In this episode we dive into the oldest play in the English vernacular (no more Latin, yay!). We examine what remains of the Student and the Girl and try to piece together the story from missing scenes. We explore the hierarchy of mintrels in Europe and why French minstrels were paid so much more than English minstrels!

Comic Fabliau is bawdy and full of puns and rhyming... but is that enough to grant it access into the House of Revels?

Have you got some fabliauous fun facts to share? Join the revelry! We are on Instagram: @house_of_revels and Twitter, Youtube and Facebook as @houseofrevels! Of course, you can email us at [email protected]!

The Feast of Fools...a day full of chaos, riots and japes...or was it? The Catholic Church has many”feast days” - celebrations of saints or special events in the liturgy (St Patrick’s Day, St Stephen’s Day, St Valentine’s Day). In this episode, we examine one of the most notorious feast days, the Feast of Fools. Made famous by Victor Hugo (and Disney) in The Hunchback of Norte Dame, the Feast of Fools is commonly understood to be a day where roles were reversed, people drank excessively and there were wild parties in the streets - all in celebration of being foolish. But is our perception of the Feast of Fools actually true? We look at some of the events associated with the feast, the controversy it caused and two plays that resulted from it (yes, actual theatre!) Have you got a Topsy Turvy story to share? Maybe a fun feast day fact? Join the revelry! We are on Instagram:@house_of_revels, or YouTube, Facebook and Twitter as @houseofrevels! Emails us at [email protected]

Come one, come all and hear stories of the miraculous! 

Dragons, castles, fires and horses in men's shoes... episode 11 has it all! We explore the English and French miracle plays; plays about the lives and miracles of the saints of the Catholic Church. We delve into the context of the cult of saints and explore the connection between dragons, virgins and childbirth. We discover the author of the first (recorded) English miracle play, Geoffrey of Dunstable, and his burnt copes! During our exploration of The Mary Magdalene Digby Play, Olivia surprises us with some (seriously impressive and fun) miracle play staging facts. But just how popular were the plays of saints lives? Why did they stop?Olivia had such a strong gut reaction to this theatre style - have you ever responded in such an instinctive way to a piece of theatre? 

Have you got something to share about miracle plays? Join the revelry! We are Instagram: @house_of_revels, or Youtube, Facebook and Twitter as @houseofrevels! Email us at [email protected]

Rebel youths, castration, celebrity tell-it-all autobiographies... the 12th and 13th century had it all! The failed crusades, the murder of Thomas Becket and greed within the Catholic Church caused a group of men to become disillusioned with the Catholic Church (and the status quo of life in general). Educated by the newly formed universities of Western Europe, notably the University of Paris and the University of Oxford, they put pen to paper and wrote scathing, angsty and satirical poetry. They became known as goliards (possible named so because of the bishop of their fictional order, Bishop Golias). The Church wasn't the only subject of their poetry and they also wrote many poems about drinking, sex and gambling (surprise, surprise). We explore these 'bad boy' goliards in more detail as well as their supposed influencer Pierre Abelard. We discover their legacy and learn about a VERY famous goliard poem - that you'll definately have heard! 

A new style of poetry, a new group of performers and a final question - will goliards make it into the House of Revels? Links mentioned in episode: https://youtu.be/EJC-_j3SnXk

As ever, we'd love to hear your thoughts! Do you have more information about goliards? Do you disagree with our decision? Join the revelry! We are on Instagram: @house_of_revels, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter: @houseofrevels or you can drop us a line at [email protected]

We all know about Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin and Guinevere but when did the story (or rather stories) start?

As well as the foundation of the notion of Courtly Love, the 12th century saw the creation of the first myth of Britain; the famous tale of the noble Arthur. A favourite of Henry II and popular in Europe, the story of Arthur quickly spread during the 12th century, transforming and expanding with new adaptations. It contributed to The Matter of Britain, a wide body of literature exploring the kings and heroes of Great Britain. Also appearing in The Matter of Britain is the famous love story of Tristan and Issolde, our example poem for the episode. We discuss the characters and themes of the poem and try to answer the question; what's with all the uncle business?

A new genre, a new wave of thought and a final question- will this new style enter the House of Revels? Do you have a nugget of info you’d like to share? Do you disagree with our decision? Join the revelry! We are on Instagram: @house_of_revels, or Youtube, Twitter and Facebook as @houseofrevels, or drop us an email at [email protected]

TW// Sexual Assault This episode of House of Revels contains references to sexual assault, in the Ripple Or Riot section (at 49.30 minutes to 50.30 minutes). Virtuous, ennobling, true, devout… when did these ideas about love start? 900 years ago it turns out! 
 There was a great flourishing of philosophy, thought, culture and art in the 12th century. Europe grew warmer, knights crusaded and Britain was part of a Plantagenet Empire that stretched from the Scottish Border to the Pyrenees, ruled from 1154 by arguably our most scholarly, and dramatic, King and Queen: Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Together they oversaw the reinvention of British Myth, the adaptation of old British Folklore and the transformation of the idea of love. All through stories. We discuss the origins of courtly love, the influence of the Islamic golden age, and how this new style of romance permeated society and culture. We focus on the troubaritz Marie of France and her lai Eliduc. A new genre, a new wave of thought and a final question- will this new style enter the House of Revels? Do you have a nugget of info you’d like to share? Do you disagree with our decision? Join the revelry! We are on Instagram: @house_of_revels, or youtube, twitter and facebook as @houseofrevels, or drop us an email at [email protected]

This week on House of Revels - Theatre Through the Ages - we are looking at Terence Staging! If you recall from our Roman Theatre episode (go back and listen to episode two if you haven’t already) Terence was a prolific Roman comedy writer. In the 12th century his work was rediscovered by nobles and clergy all over Europe and we get the phenomenon known as Terence Staging. This episode, Mingma talks us through the wild ride that is the 12th century British monarchy, the first performing dogs and a play about weird, incestuous love triangles (our play of the podcast, Babio). If you enjoy listening to House of Revels please leave us a review and rate us! You can find us on social media:

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Welcome to the sixth episode of House of Revels, Theatre Through the Ages. We’re the theatre history podcast that takes you right from year nought to year now. This week we are looking at Songs of Praise! No, not the hit BBC show but the songs written in praise of nobles and figures like William the Conqueror. Mingma talks us through the Norman Conquest, The Song of the Battle of Hastings and the illusive performer/juggler/soldier Taillefer. You can follow us on Twitter @houseofrevels, YouTube @houseofrevels and Insta @house_of_revels. You can also drop us a line at [email protected]