Saint Play

The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre | 1996 | 700+ words | Copyright

Saint Play, in early religious drama a play based on the life and legends of a Christian saint or martyr. One of the earliest extant plays, in a form similar to liturgical drama but not connected with the liturgy, is a short work by Hilarius, an English ‘wandering scholar’ resident in France, dramatizing one of the miracles performed by St Nicholas. Another deals with an episode in the life of St Paul. As the patron saint of children St Nicholas became a favourite subject of plays intended to be performed at or near Christmas—his feast being on 6 Dec.—by choirboys and schoolboys, and perhaps linked with the tradition of the boy bishop. The celebration of the name-day of other saints chosen as patrons of churches, colleges, and guilds offered ample opportunity for the dramatization of episodes in their lives which employed, instructed, and entertained both the local clergy and the laity. In France similar plays, and those specifically devoted to incidents in the life of the Virgin Mary, were known as miracle plays.

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PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Saint Play." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Saint Play." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-SaintPlay.html

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Saint Play." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-SaintPlay.html

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